The Rose Amidst the Snow
by The Great Weiss Shark
Summary: For eleven years, Blake proudly watched the lost child she found in the forest grow into a strong, confident young woman with nothing to fear. She taught Ruby everything she knew about surviving in a world that didn't want her. But when a ship carrying the crown prince of Atlas arrives, Blake realizes she hadn't taught Ruby the one lesson that could save her life.
1. Prologue

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Prologue**

* * *

When I was a little girl I fell in love with the Kingdom of Atlas, a somnolent land buffeted by eternal snow ruled by a benevolent king. Having lived on a small island just north of the equator for most of my life meant that our "winter" was just an extension of fall. No snow, no frost, no ice. I had never seen any of those before, but I knew deep down in my heart that they were beautiful.

Sometimes, just before bed when it was especially cold at night, I liked to imagine myself running in a field of white stretching as far as the eye can see, kicking up a flurry, and falling face first into the soft snow. Stories of the raging winter and the hardy people who braved it would then fill my dreams. There was romance and intrigue as I was often the spunky heroine that found herself embroiled in a plot to save the princess alongside her prince. These dreams were so vivid that I'd excitedly wake up feeling the chill on my skin only to realize that my roof had sprung a leak during the night, then the uncomfortable heat would sink in and my fantasy comes to a close yet again.

Unfortunately when I grew older I learned that reality was far from the fantasy. My dreams had romanticised the cold kingdom and blinded me from the truth. Winter was harsh and unforgiving. The serene white plain I had dreamed of was glaring and bathed in the blood of those that fell. But it was beautiful. More beautiful than anything I had ever seen or imagined.

I quickly grew accustomed to the cold, learned to survive, and fended off the death that followed close behind it. Once I let go of my puerile delusion and saw it for what it truly was, I fell in love with the winter all over again. Only this time when I embraced it, it was warm and inviting.


	2. Chapter One: The First Sign of Winter

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter One**

 _ **The First Sign of Winter**_

* * *

It was high noon judging by the sun's lording position above the tiny farming island named Patch. It had an estimated population of twelve-thousand with a majority residing in the port town that stretched along the eastern coastline. A thirty minute ferry ride connects it to the bustling City of Vale, capital of the Kingdom of Vale. Patch was an agricultural utopia with its fair weather, fertile soil, and an abundance of fresh wild fruit and greens. The people divided their small patch of heaven between cultivated farmland and the wilds, with the former taking up more than two-thirds of the island.

But our story doesn't take place there where the sheltered remain oblivious.

It begins in the northern region, just below the dense rainforest that shielded Patch from the chilly ocean winds but far from the boarders of civilization. There, hidden away by the untamed wilds, was a broken down old barn. It once belonged to a nameless old farmer before being repossessed by the crown and forgotten. Now it was home to a young teenage girl without a single lien to her name and only the worn-out old clothes she wore on her back to call her own.

Her name was Ruby Rose, a spry and skinny little thing with hair as red as her namesake, and a peculiar pair of smoky gray eyes. Ruby didn't like to complain about what she lacked, because to her she was fortunate. Girls her age and those even younger are forced to marry and begin families, but here she was living life like an adventurer answering to no one but herself. She was able to do things no city girl could ever dream of doing like explore the wilds, hunt for game, fish for food, or work the acreage; backbreaking and "dangerous" work like that were reserved only for men. Though Ruby did often secretly lament over the one thing she could never have, a loving mother and father to welcome her home.

 _Thunk_

Ruby panted hard struggling to stay on her feet as she pried her rusty hoe from the freshly ploughed earth. She took a moment to look at the fruits of her labour before tossing the tool carelessly to the side. She wobbled to and fro before languidly falling back into the soft raised soil she had spent all morning tilling. An arbitrary sigh escaped her dry, cracked lips as she raised a dirt covered hand up to shield her eyes from the unforgiving sun. Ruby could practically feel her muscles screaming beneath her tanned skin, desperately begging to take a break. Her vexatious stomach decided to join in on the chorus telling the stubborn farmer to get some food in her belly before she passed out from fatigue and dehydration. While Ruby desperately wanted to heed and fulfil her body's requests, she was only halfway done, not counting the patch she just flattened. It was an impressive amount of work for the hours she worked, but prolonging her daily toil was a serious problem that a slew of rather embarrassing consequences.

Ruby grumbled in annoyance, pressing her forearm flat against her eyes to blot out the sun. She was beginning to feel cursed when she remembered her exact words to Blake. "I'll have this finished before you get back," she said like an idiot about to bite off more than she could chew, "and when you do I expect a reward!" The humiliation only got worse when Ruby recalled the doubtful look on Blake's face as she began listing off all the possible requests she had in mind.

"Half isn't so bad," she said to herself optimistically trying to stamp out the obtrusive thoughts. "I can do the other half later today—wait no, bad idea. Damn."

It was unbearably hot and humid thanks to the infernal rainforest she liked to call her backyard. The place was as deadly as it was beautiful. It would only take a matter of minutes to sap all the energy she had left if she went in to get some fresh food and water, making it impossible to continue working the field. Now on the other hand, if she got back up and stubbornly finished she wouldn't have the strength left to brave the forest.

While Ruby continued to bake in the sun contemplating her next move, a faint rustling could be heard from within the tree canopies.

A woman wearing a hooded cloak made from layers of thick, green leaves emerged from the brush, inching noiselessly towards the unaware farmer. She leaned over Ruby, her tall figure casting a shadow over the petite young woman. Then in a mildly humorous tone she asked, "Finished already?" Ruby yelped and scrambled to her feet, shooting a nasty glare at the camouflaged stranger as they cheerfully laughed. "Sorry, I thought you heard me."

"Heard _what_ , Blake?" Ruby hissed in annoyance as she beat the dust out of her sweat drenched shirt instead of Blake's face. "Could've said 'Hey Ruby, I'm back' or something like a normal person instead of sneaking up on me."

"I made the leaves rustle a bit," the other young woman said in her defence.

"I thought that was the wind!"

Blake cocked her head to the left quizzically. "What wind?" Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but closed it shut when she realized her mistake. "Exactly. But forget about that, you look about ready to melt."

"Heh, I've probably sweated enough to water the crops… if I had gotten to sow the seeds," Ruby whimpered pitifully.

"I don't know why you even bother," Blake shrugged, "we haven't been able to grow anything for years."

Ruby felt mildly offended that her friend would dare say such a cruel thing to the field she so lovingly cared for. It was dried out, riddled with weeds, devoid of any and all the essential nutrients crops needed to grow, but it was still her patch of dirt and she loved it.

"You know it's the truth."

"Yeah, you're right…" Ruby said quickly admitting defeat.

Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, Blake apologized to her friend and offered Ruby one of her rare smiles though the girl remained largely unaware of how rare they truly were.

"We're hunters," Blake said firmly. "Farming's for the weak city folk who are too afraid to brave the jungle."

"Mn…"

Blake pulled her hood back releasing a mess of long, wavy jet black hair and a pair of feline-like ears to the stuffy humid air. She shook her head to jostle her fringe off of her forehead and quickly pushed them back with her hand when they finally came loose. Sweat trickled down her skin like rain drops making her pale skin glisten. Unlike Ruby who stalked the open plains, Blake was most at home prowling through the thicket like a jungle cat.

"By the way," Ruby said quietly catching Blake off-guard, "what are you doing up? It's barely past one." Blake didn't answer her. Instead she flashed Ruby a toothy grin, a subtle gesture that told the dusty redhead something interesting had happened in Blake's jungle. "Okay, I'm hooked. Tell me!"

"There's an Atlesian frigate flying the royal colours docked on the northern shore."

"What? But that's dangerous!" Ruby gasped startled that a captain of the royal navy would make such a reckless decision. "When I see the idiot in charge of that dumb boat, I'm going throw a coconut or something at their stupid face after we save them!"

"It's a ship not a boat." Blake let out a roaring laugh, patting the girl hard on the back. "But hey, if they're still alive when we get there you can yell at the captain all you want. Now go get changed!"

"Yeah, yeah, but you better wait for me this time!"

Blake scoffed at her friend. "Only if you don't keep me waiting."

* * *

 **Before anyone asks, that high noon thing wasn't originally an Overwatch reference. That was the actual line I had penned down years ago and I just couldn't bring myself to take it out. I still have a lot I want to change but I just can't think up the words, so I'll be going back whenever something does pop up.**

 _ **Now I know it snows in Patch thanks to the ending of Volume Three, but I'll be ignoring that fact for this novel only.**_

 **That aside, if you've been following my Tumblr activity you'd have seen me posting about this story for awhile now. I didn't want to upload it until I had more chapters completed. I haven't really put a dent in my backlog of work so as usual updates will be... Uh, shark dependent.**

 **I just want to say that this story is one of my favourites second only to Nature's Wrath. Like, the original version of this story I actually tried to publish... it got turned down for being too gay. I'm over that salt now. Maybe. Anyhow, I'm happy it got turned down, because I can still share it with you guys!**

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you take the time to review as well.**


	3. Chapter Two: Jungle Creeps

**The Rose amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Two**

 _ **Jungle Creeps**_

* * *

Blake waited patiently outside the barn just as she had promised while Ruby took her time getting dressed, mentally preparing for what they were about to do. Sadly, the waiting game was driving Blake insane with worry for the sailors docked in unfamiliar territory. Because like water, time was of the essence here in the jungle where wild beasts weren't the only dangers lurking about.

Two more minutes passed and still no sign of Ruby. Blake was starting to wonder if she fell asleep while changing out of her farm clothes. It wouldn't have been the first time something as strange as that had happened to the quirky redhead. Whacky hijinks were unavoidable whenever Ruby was involved, so Blake doubted it would be the last judging from how adamant her friend was on maintaining the field.

Blake vigorously shook her head when she realized she was getting distracted. Focus was the key to victory, one wrong move and she'd be as dead as the sailors probably were now. However, on the more positive side of things, if they were all dead it would make robbing them easy. A bit messy what with all the hypothetical gore and carnage, but beggars can't be choosers in a world as grim as theirs and Blake would be damned if she let Ruby go hungry. But scavenging the aftermath of a bloody skirmish was the penultimate choice; murder for the sake of stealing was the last and most reprehensible option. So Blake hoped to whatever deity watched over her blackened soul that the sailors were still alive. Demanding compensation for saving them or robbing them blind right after if they refused was a lot easier to live with.

The final grain of sand in the proverbial hourglass had fallen and with it was Blake's patience. She'd give Ruby one warning but if that went unheeded, she'd march into the ugly old barn and drag the girl out in her underwear if she had to. They needed to move _now_.

"Ruby, hurry up!" Blake yelled, praying her voice was loud enough to catch Ruby's ear. A minute passed without a word but just as she was about to get Ruby herself, a red blur broke through barn doors flinging them open with a force so strong it shook the rickety old structure down to the foundation—or whatever was left it. "About time," she said to herself with a heavy sigh. "I was about to leave without you."

"Sorry, I had a bit of trouble with the corset," Ruby apologized as she skidded to a stop in front of Blake. She was dressed in fortified clothing and a large foldable scythe strapped to her back. "I think I got fatter."

Blake appraised the tardy girl with a discerning eye starting with the aforementioned corset. It was made out of a thick leather held together by red lacing and a studded brown belt. Under it she wore a breathable beige cotton shirt that hung loose on her arms but flatteringly snug around her admirable bust. It had large lapels that drew the eye to her deep neckline, bring focus to her cleavage. And to keep the shirt from billowing about past her hands unchecked, Ruby had the long sleeves tucked into a pair of belted gloves. The rest of the outfit consisted of lose black dress and boots with thick soles that raised her a couple inches off the ground. And last but definitely not least, a long, billowing scarf made from the crimson curtains lining a grateful noble's carriage window. It was Ruby's treasure, the first gift she had gotten from helping those in need.

"You grew vertically not horizontally," Blake said knowingly as she ruffled Ruby's hair. The girl swatted Blake's hands away telling her to stop repeatedly, making the older girl laugh as she continued. "C'mon, let's get a move on."

"Yeah, race you there!" Ruby excitedly shouted, bolting away before her partner could articulate a proper response.

"Ruby, you don't know where 'there' is!" Blake yelled to the red blur quickly disappearing into the rainforest. "God damn it, that counts as cheating!"

Blake quickly shed her heavy camouflage needing her full unhindered speed to keep pace with Ruby. By now the gap between them would be too large close, but thankfully she didn't need to see the girl to know where she went; the damage Ruby undoubtedly did to the foliage alone was more than enough to track her. Ruby could be as agile as a leopard if she wanted to, but the girl was reckless and impatient to a fault. If Ruby took even a single moment to think before running off, she could realize that if she moved deftly through the trees like Blake, she'd conserve more energy than if she barreled through the brush like a wild boar. This was the sort of habit Blake wanted her young protégé to break, but that lesson would have to come at a later date once Ruby finally learned that haste makes waste.

The head start Ruby had on her feline eared friend was impressive. After running at full speed for a couple of minutes, the noticeable signs of Ruby charging through were beginning to thin. It meant the speedster had finally exhausted herself and continued on at a slower place till she had enough energy to start running again. A sporadic shaking noise caught Blake's attention directing the agile woman to a small splotch of red seen through the nearby thicket. Blake couldn't stop the growing smirk on her face when she caught sight of Ruby struggling to free her scarf from a particularly stubborn branch.

"Need a hand?" she asked from her lofty perch.

"Blake?" Ruby looked all around for her sneaky friend, grumbling expletives under her breath as she continued to tug at the scarf between glances. "How'd—ugh, stupid stick—you catch up to me? I left you in my dust!"

Blake leaned against the trunk and laughed, her eyes never leaving Ruby's general area. "It's easier to avoid things than climb over them."

"I didn't climb anything!" Ruby argued, kicking and stomping the branch at all angles.

"The desecrated path told me that much," Blake responded dryly. "Couldn't use that scythe on your own plants so you go in and wreck nature's, smart." Furious, Ruby yanked her scarf with all her might finally managing to free it, but in exchange she tore the fabric straight down the middle. "Once again, _smart_."

"Stuff it, Blake," Ruby grumbled as she readjusted the scarf around her neck and picked off the loose threads. "I'm angry and I'd like to hit something, now lead the way before that something is you."

"Aw, Ruby, don't get all pouty," Blake said jumping down behind the frustrated redhead. "I think it looks rather chic now that you've got two tails instead of one."

"Really? You mean that?" Ruby asked looking to Blake for consolation.

Blake blinked and shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said in a flat monotone.

"That's good enough for me!" Ruby exclaimed happily after a short, hesitant pause. "Now let's go save some idiots—wherever that is!"

"You deviated way off course, so now we're about ten kilometers to the east."

"What? But I went in a straight line!"

"Yes, heading east."

Ruby hung her head in shame. "How far do we have to go north?"

"I'd say forty-five minutes," Blake answered as best she could with an educated guess. "Thirty if we sprint."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruby asked, pulling her scythe from its holster.

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Does it involve slicing through the rainforest and potentially disrupting the delicate balance sustaining this beautifully diverse ecosystem?"

"Uh," Ruby blinked, dumbfounded. "Yeah?"

"Alright, just make sure you don't lop my head off with that thing," Blake said in a low threatening voice, making a dramatic show of her clipped left ear by twitching it.

Ruby cringed at the graphic memory replaying in her head. It happened three years ago near her barn sometime in the late summer. Ruby was practicing with her newly acquired scythe (a gift from a farmer she saved), swing it around trying to get a proper feel of it. Back then Blake had a nasty habit of showing up unannounced just to scare the life out of Ruby when she spoke up. Now normally that wouldn't have been such a bad thing since both girls would get a good laugh out of the fright, however, this time was different. Ruby had a sharp weapon and the instincts of a veteran huntsman; Blake didn't see it coming until it was too late. There was so much blood and the terrified screams wouldn't stop—specifically they were Ruby's and not Blake's, since the coolheaded Faunus was far too shocked to say a word let alone scream. Nevertheless, it was mayhem in the tiny secluded farm.

"It was only the tip and I said I was sorry like a hundred times!"

"Sorry doesn't bring the symmetry back!" Blake roared at her angrily.

"Well I could—"

Blake swiftly clamped a hand over Ruby's mouth, silencing the girl before she could suggest yet another harebrained scheme. Personal space didn't have much meaning in their friendship, it was more of an unspoken rule. So when Blake leaned in close enough she could see her furious expression in Ruby's wide eyes and visa versa, Ruby knew she was in deep, deep trouble.

"I know what you're thinking," Blake growled. "If you want to live long enough to see your seventeenth birthday next year, I suggest you scrap that idea and get to work hacking our way through this infernal jungle. Do I make myself clear?"

"Mhm!" was Ruby's muffled response.

"What was that?" Ruby frantically pointed at Blake's hand over her mouth. "Oh, sorry."

Blake kept her hardened gaze focused on Ruby and slowly let go. She then stepped back a couple of paces to give Ruby some air and enough distance between them to dodge should the redhead suddenly retaliate. Thankfully the younger girl did no such thing. Instead she breathed out a long, over exaggerated sigh of relief as she slumped back on her feet rather comically.

"You've gotten really good with the Yang impression," Ruby said with a hearty laugh. "Almost believed you for a second there." Blake remained stoically impassive, her posture closed off and threatening. "You, uh, were joking… right?" Then she walked past Ruby without a word, leaving her behind. "Blake? Blakey?! W-Wait for Ruby—Oof, stupid rock."

Blake looked over her shoulder with a playful smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Why, I'm ever so flattered Ruby, but please don't fall for me."

"Ha. Ha."

"C'mon or I'll leave you behind and hoard all the loot."

Ruby pushed herself up into a running start, her feet pounding hard against the turf soil leaving deep, unmistakable footprints. She easily zipped past Blake and so began the ruthless onslaught of diced leaves and twigs. It was immature but Ruby had to get her payback somehow, and this seemed like the fairest way to get it—that is until an even better opportunity showed itself. Ruby kept her eyes peeled for anything that could prove interesting. She was about to give up on her silly game when she saw it—the perfect opportunity. A giddy smile quickly spread on her face as she got closer to her target. Blake was wholly oblivious to what Ruby was planning, but the way she periodically called out her name told Ruby that she wasn't just simply looking out for her. Seeing the weary expression on Blake's face become full blown suspicion gave Ruby the final push to let her devilish side take over.

"Heads up!" Ruby shouted gleefully.

"Huh?" Blake shifted her eyes forward fully alert, anticipating whatever it was Ruby saw.

She expected a low hanging branch or a protruding root, but nothing of the sort made itself apparent. However, just when Blake believed it was a false alarm, a particularly juicy grub, sliced cleanly down the middle, hit Blake square on the cheek. Ruby howled in laughter as she picked up speed, leaving Blake and her new bisected acquaintance far behind. Meanwhile, the horrified screams Blake belted out as she tried and failed to wipe the repugnant goop off of her face rang clear throughout the jungle, terrifying the wildlife and stirring something best left to slumber. She furiously shouted Ruby's name, her face still smeared with the grub's odious innards, swearing on her life that she'd catch and gut her like a fish for the stunt she just pulled.

Ruby continued forward at a blind speed, hacking and slashing the vegetation in her way. She didn't notice it until Blake's voice faded into the distance, but her surroundings became eerily silent which was strange because the forest always was teeming with life. The clear and distinctive noises fauna made were just a part of the soothing rainforest ambiance. It didn't matter whether it was day or night, hot or cold, something was always up and about.

Barely a second had gone by before a cacophony of sounds erupted, raising the decibel count to unbearable levels. The ground began to shake violently with a loud rumbling like thunder, disrupting all the flora around Ruby for miles. She quickly folded her scythe into its handheld sickle form to conserve energy and hasten her reaction time. The rumbling grew more intense as animals of all shapes and sizes came stampeding from the east. Predators and prey alike assisted each other as they all rushed past Ruby, ignoring the food chain in favour of self-preservation. The larger animals were easy to dodge or jump over; they paid her no mind. But the smaller, defenceless ones still feared the redheaded giant cutting across the frenzied herd like a bolt of crimson lightning.

Ruby did her best to avoid stomping on the tiny creatures and the low flying birds and insects, but she eventfully lost her footing trying to avoid a family of marsupials huddling together, frozen in fear. Thinking fast, Ruby kicked high off the ground and vaulted over them, saving the tiny mammals from an untimely death. As she steadily rose higher, Ruby double checked for any other animals in her immediate path. They were all running westward leaving the northern trail free for Ruby to barrel on through. At the peak of her ascent, Ruby skillfully tucked and rolled to buffer her landing, but she had been so preoccupied with the animals' safety that she forgot her own. Ruby had been moving so fast the momentum carried over and Ruby lost control of her descent.

With the ground rapidly approaching, Ruby braced for impact. Thanks to her years of combat training with Blake, Ruby managed to land on her forearms instead of her head. Gripping her sickle tightly, Ruby plunged it into the dirt to act as a makeshift rudder. It successfully snapped Ruby out of the roll and slowed her down enough so she could throw her right arm over her left and flip her body so she was on all fours. Then she buried her leather bound fingers deep into the earth and anchored her body down with the help of her feet, using the extra resistance to her advantage. Once the world stopped moving around her, Ruby's limbs gave out from exhaustion. It had taken everything she had to stop herself before she collided into something or worse. Robbing the rich and stealing food she could handle without hesitation, but the thought of hurting an innocent animal or person made her stomach churn. It was this idealistic shortcoming of hers that forced Blake to provide all the meat for their meals while Ruby foraged for edible plants, nuts, and fruit. She had enough repressed memories to fill a book, she didn't need to start a second volume.

Lying flat against the dirt, Ruby cried out for Blake as she slowly propped herself up with her elbows. The mismatched herd of animals was thinning now with only a few stragglers streaking by leaving Ruby alone in a trampled patch of forest. Not wanting to greet the creature that caused all of this, Ruby drew upon all of her remaining strength and willed her body to stand. The process was grueling and there were times she wanted to give up and sleep for an eternity, but Ruby was more worried about her best friend's safety than her own condition. The fatigue was making her highly aware of her laboured breathing and rapid heartrate which irked the poor redhead more than she'd like to admit. And in addition to that every part of her was protesting, begging she stop and rest. Her legs were the most defiant making walking more than a few steps at a time impossible, but at least she was up and moving.

"Blake!" she called out again, her voice growing hoarse from the strain. "Blake, where are you?!"

In her adrenaline fueled state of panic, Ruby foolishly ignored the danger rapidly approaching her and continued to make her way back to where she left Blake. Ruby breathed in deep trying to keep the generalized aches and pains at bay, though mainly she was just trying to push past the agony permeating deep in her right arm.

The tips of a large, blood-soaked tear in her sleeve could be seen from under Ruby's left hand. Beneath it was a straight cut that stretched diagonally from her bicep to her elbow. Ruby figured it was self inflicted due to its cleanness and depth. She guessed that the sickle must have made contact when she landed, it was the only thing that could have done it. The only other explanation she think of was something jagged like a root or a stick, but instead of the nice clean cut it would have imbedded itself after breaking through the skin.

Ruby shook her head when she saw that the stain was beginning to spread outward with bits of spotting further down her arm. Ruby applied more pressure to stall the bleeding, but a loose thread from the frayed fabric grazed the wound making Ruby wince in pain and instinctively clench her fist. Her eyes quickly widened in distress when she realized that her blood had trickled down into her glove, mixing with her sweat and soaking the cotton lining inside.

"Great. Fantastic," she snarled in frustration. "Of all the times to ditch Blake you choose now, great job Ruby. You really F'd the A on this one."

The faint sound of leaves rustling from the left caught Ruby's attention almost instantly. She optimistically hoped it was just Blake playing a nasty prank on her, but the rational thinker in her chimed in with a sobering thought that drained the blood from Ruby's face. Blake may have a bit of mean streak, but now was neither the time or place for jokes. Ruby's fears were quickly confirmed when a black panther pounced out of the thicket, roaring ferociously with its razor sharp claws aimed directly at her. The cat was terrifyingly large with rippling muscles under is glossy coat. I didn't seem to fear the demonic beasts prowling in its kingdom, instead it saw opportunity. Frightened prey made for a thrilling hunt, Ruby could respect that but not when she was the prey in question. Her eyes darted to her wounded arm and cursed her misfortune.

Time seemed to slow down as the panther soared closer to its target. But just as it was about to finish her, Blake came running to the rescue. She tackled Ruby's midsection hard pushing her out of the jungle cat's way and into the safety of a gargantuan strangler fig's mangled roots, subsequently knocking the wind out of her as well. The panther roared angrily at the two young women preparing to take them both, but an even louder, more ferocious roar thundered through the jungle scaring the predator into fleeing.

"I hate you," Blake grumbled from the floor next to Ruby, panting just as hard as her partner. "This is all your fault."

"You were… the one…" Ruby coughed again and again, "that screamed like… a little bitch."

"Glad you're alive enough to shit talk," Blake grinned weakly, glad that she made it in time to save her.

"Thanks," Ruby grunted as she shifted her wounded arm away from the roots pressing into it.

Blake rolled to her side and pushed herself up, tucking her legs in so they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention from another hungry predator. She looked at Ruby from the corner of her eye to make sure that the redhead was mostly intact. She was pleased to see that the panther didn't get a chance to do anything, and other than a few cuts and scrapes on her face Ruby seemed fine.

"What do you think spooked them?" Ruby asked wearily though she already knew the answer.

"Grimm," Blake muttered just loud enough for Ruby to hear.

Grimm were mysterious, hellish creatures with an insatiable appetite for human and Faunus flesh alike. However, unlike the normal predators who strictly adhere to the food chain these harbingers of mayhem didn't need food or water to sustain themselves; their breeding habits were also unknown. While not a lot is known about them, the common consensus is that the Grimm were hedonistic beasts that enjoyed terrorizing the civilized population, attracted to them simply because dissonance and negative emotions can be found so easily in large communities.

Ruby groaned in frustration. "I knew it, but I still had hope."

"Hope for what?" Blake chuckled darkly. "Let's get a move on before it closes in on us."

"How close are we to the beach?"

"Nearly there."

"I hope they have some bandages," Ruby said with a wistful sigh. "I'm getting kind of dizzy."

"Ruby?" Blake moved to get a closer look at her friend, gasping out in horror when she saw the cut on Ruby's arm. "What did you do to get that?!"

"Landing strategy gone wrong?" Ruby laughed nervously. "It was probably from my sickle—where'd it go?!" Ruby scrambled to her knees and began scouring the ground for her weapon. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Uh, Ruby?" Blake held back a chuckle. "Look in front of you."

"Huh?" Ruby looked ahead and gasped. Her scythe turned sickle, her most prized and arguably only possession, was lying under a fresh steaming turd. "Ew, gross!"

"Ahahaha!" Blake couldn't hold herself back anymore, the look of absolute horror on Ruby's face made all of the girl's recent pranks worth enduring. "Karma at its best."

"Not funny, Blake!" Ruby shouted as she stepped on the blade to drag it out of the pile. "This cannot be happening… ugh, I can smell it from here!"

"I'd say we leave it behind, but that would leave you defenceless."

"No, no, no!" Ruby cried when she managed to unfold the weapon. "There's shit between the joints!"

"Ouch."

Ruby unravelled her ruined scarf from her neck and tightly wrapped it around the soiled length of her scythe. She then ripped both ends of the scarf to secure the fine fabric in place with her best knots. The added weight made the weapon feel foreign in Ruby's hands but it was better than charging in barehanded.

"This'll have to do, I guess…" Ruby whimpered, mourning the loss of her scarf.

Blake walked up to Ruby and said, "We've wasted enough time. Are you ready to go or should I leave you behind?"

"I'm alright now." Ruby carefully spun her scythe in the air and made note of the drag slowing it's rotation down. She wasn't happy with it, but this was only a temporary solution to a rather disgusting situation. "Let's go."

* * *

 **So I completely forgot to upload the prologue of this story... Whoops, my bad.**


	4. Chapter Three: White Out

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Three**

 _ **White Out**_

* * *

Ruby followed two steps behind Blake matching her stride for stride. Her pretty face was marred by a menacing scowl and a litter of faint scratch marks. Trailing behind the Faunus woman meant getting slapped by whatever she pushed out of her way. Unlike Ruby who preferred to violently hack her way through the thicket, Blake liked to "gently nudge" things from her path as she would haughtily say from time to time. Ruby knew without a doubt that this was part of Blake's punishment for delaying them with her recklessness.

"We're almost there!" Blake shouted with a muted excitement. "I can smell the ocean, get ready."

"I can't smell shit!" Ruby yelled back, sniffing the air for a saline change.

Blake barked out a laugh and kept running.

The frigate she saw could only be described as "un-frigate-able" if a certain Lady were here with them. It flew the Atlas Standard proudly as it floated harmlessly on Vale Kingdom waters just outside of the shallows. It was painted all black which was odd considering how the barbaric Atlesians believed anything resembling the creatures of Grimm deserved to be frozen and shattered by their Ice Queen. But before Blake could ponder more about the curious oddity, from her perch atop the tallest tree she could find, Blake saw the sailors boarding a number of small rowboats no doubt heading for shore.

That had been well over two hours ago. And the small stretch of ocean between the shallows and Patch's white sandy beach was at least fifteen minutes on calm waters with favourable winds. They had to be on shore by now, she could practically hear the forest quivering in fear as the monstrous horde living in it moved.

A pungent scent wafted into Blake's sensitive nose overwhelming the poor Faunus woman and forcing her to the ground. Ruby was on her in a second firing off question after question wondering why her friend had fallen to her knees. Blake knew this smell better than anything else. It was vile, like a rotting carcass left out in the sun or the decayed remains of food in a musty old house besieged by fungi. It made her stomach roll in on itself when she recalled the last time she inhaled it this strongly.

Blake reached out for Ruby who reacted instantaneously and helped her steady herself. "Ruby, get ready."

"That bad?" Blake wordlessly nodded. "Blood?"

"I can't tell," she confessed. "It's a thick miasma, I can't even smell the ocean anymore."

"We made it just in time for the party then!" Ruby unfurled her scythe in a flurry of graceful spins before dropping into a stance. "How much further?"

Blake brandished her own weapon, a two piece cleaver that concealed a thin foldable sword. "Ten minutes at most. We're down wind so the stench travelled."

"Do you hear anything?"

"N—"

 _Screeeeeeeeech_

Ruby dropped her scythe and covered both her ears. "What the fuck was that?!"

"A n-nevermore?!" Blake gapped in horror. "But we don't get those here."

"Not the big ones at least," Ruby added still reeling from the sharp noise. She knelt down and grabbed her weapon too scared to go without it for long.

"Did you see where it went?"

"No," Ruby answered through her tightly gritted teeth.

The two young women stood back to back with their weapons ready. Blake looked around the forest while Ruby peered through the small gaps between the canopies. Another screech followed by a powerful gust of wind roved over them with a force so strong it threatened to uproot everything including them in its path. It was only for a second, but Ruby caught a brief glimpse of the ferocious creature accosting her island home and couldn't believe her eyes.

Snow—actual snow—came drifting down in the creature's wake. Ruby reached out to touch one of the flakes. It melted in her palm before she could get a closer look, but before sadness could settle in another one landed on her cheek. It felt like a light kiss or a rain drop, there one moment and gone in the next. Excitement bubbled within Ruby as she zipped around trying to enjoy the strange phenomenon to the fullest before it was gone. Blake wasn't having nearly as much fun as Ruby was, in fact she looked downright terrified. Her eyes were glued to the sky silently begging for the creature to fly by again. Ruby didn't know what was going on, Blake wanted it to stay that way, but if her eyes weren't tricking her then they were headed towards something stronger than an Elder Grimm.

"Ruby, hey, Ruby!" Blake yelled at her eager partner.

Ruby immediately skidded to a halt in front of Blake. "What's up?"

"Please tell me you saw that _thing_ in the sky." The redhead nodded. "It was white and blue, right? Tell me I'm not going crazy, because I swear I saw a white and blue nevermore."

Ruby had a tendency to be a bit of a gullible goof, but she knew her friend would never try to deceive her. "Yeah, I saw it… it was kind of a blur since I was more focused on the snow. Blake, seriously, why the hell is it snowing?"

"That royal ship we're heading towards," Blake said, "has the crown prince on board."

"What?! Snow _and_ a prince?" Ruby did a giddy little dance. "Best day ever!"

"No, Ruby!" Blake shouted in a panic, grabbing hold of her enthusiastic partner. "Faunus are murdered on the spot in Atlas. The practice became outlawed during King Mikhail's reign, but his heir… I-I can't risk going out there, Ruby."

"How do you know all this?"

"I…" Blake bit the bottom of her lip apprehensively. "Just trust me on this, okay?"

Ruby crossed her arms and shook her head in disappointment. "Still keeping secrets from me after all this time?"

"Can you blame me?" Blake pointed out stubbornly. "I'm not even allowed in the city here."

"You're not the only one," Ruby grumbled, her nose crinkling.

"Exile and blatant racism are two completely different things," Blake explained trying her best to remain calm. "You're not allowed near it by an unfair law and I'm… I'm just _unwelcomed_."

Ruby moved to console her friend, but the subtle fire of resentment burning in Blake's eyes made her think otherwise. Instead she turned her frown upside down, patted Blake on the shoulder, and said, "Solo mission!"

"W-What?!" Blake was almost surprised with how quickly Ruby changed moods. Almost. "Ruby, no! You'll be running in there without back up!"

"Well, how about I use those Atlas jerks as meatshields?"

Blake paused thinking Ruby's idea through carefully. If the snow white nevermore belonged to who she thought it belonged to, then there was a good chance Ruby would make it out alive. A little colder, but alive.

"Maybe I can convince the prince to lay off the Faunus after he sees my badass moves."

A quiet laugh escaped Blake's lips as she imagined the prince wide-eyed and speechless in Ruby's shadow. "Alright, go. But make sure you give them hell for me and my fallen brethren."

"You'll be watching from the tree tops, right?"

"If you get into a pinch I'll jump in," Blake said with a much lighter expression on her face. "I doubt you'll need me, but take this with you since yours is currently..." Blake looked down at the scythe with a wry grin as she untied her own scarf and handed it Ruby. "Don't leave your neck exposed."

"Thanks, partner."

The two friends gave each other one last knowing look before going their separate ways. Blake deftly climbed up the nearest large tree and disappeared into the shadows to survey the battle. Ruby took a moment to take in a deep, calming breath before charging forward. She ran as fast as she could, slicing through whatever stood in her way. It was getting hard to ignore the sounds of battle now that she could see light surging through the brush with wisps of snow billowing about.

One final burst of speed pushed Ruby into a scene she had only ever dreamed of. The beautiful sandy white beach she and Blake spent years maintaining was now a jagged icy battlefield stretching into the ocean. The air was cold and hard to breathe with strange black particles lingering in the wind like dust. The alarms in Ruby's head instantly went off. When she and Blake dispatched a pack of Grimm it was always in small groups of two or one by one, never in a huge group like this. It took a second to recompose herself, but Ruby managed to exhale all the tainted air in her lungs before she breathed in too much. When the last bit exited her body, Ruby tugged Blake's scarf up to her nose. She refastened it so it would stay tight against her face while still covering her neck before taking in her next breath.

Now that she was protected against the poisonous dust, Ruby sprang into action. All around her were a dozen well-armed sailors wearing protective face masks made out of carved bone, tearing ruthlessly into the horde of horrific beasts like butchers. A small group of lightly armoured sailors were busy running around the field with large mesh sacks, collecting all the black dust they could. Ruby was giving the men prancing about a strange look when it all clicked together in a blinding flash of realization. These men weren't ordinary sailors looking to sell their wares from a distant land, they were huntsmen.

When Grimm die their bodies don't rot and decompose like normal living things, they disintegrate into a volatile substance known widely as "Black Dust". Breathing or ingesting small amounts isn't harmful, but in larger quantities it becomes poisonous with near fatal consequences should immediate countermeasures be ignored. But despite the dangers, mankind persevered and found that black dust had its uses. It could be refined into a hard mineral rivalling a diamond or be smelted with metal creating stronger weapons and equipment. Though sometimes black dust can be found deep underground in airtight pockets like oil or in thick mineral veins like copper and iron. But so far the easiest method to obtain it was through mass Grimm extermination.

Ruby felt a chill run down her spine when a new wave of Grimm emerged from the shadows where she and Blake split up. The sailors that once had the upper hand were now getting pushed back through the sheer numbers against them. Ruby fought to protect herself and any sailor who had her back. She hadn't noticed it at first but when she was effectively sandwiched between two burly men, she saw that the sailors were forming a phalanx around her. She folded her scythe and tried to escape by clambering on top of the tallest brute she could, but a swift tug on her injured arm denied her freedom. Now instead of a sailor that smelled of the sea and sweat, Ruby was pressed flush against a body clad in ivory armour and coarse black furs.

Ruby looked up, glaring at her red hooded captor as he jerked her wounded arm away from his impassive face.

"Let me go you creep!" she screamed furiously, struggling against the cold, iron grip he had on her.

The armoured sailor's piercing blue eyes darkened under their crimson hood in a predatory gaze. "Shut up. You're wounded," the barbarian stated in a gruff, heavily accented tone. "Stay still," he then commanded as he inspected the cut on Ruby's arm with the aid of his right hand.

Ruby found herself blinking in disbelief. The men around her all had these deep gravelly voices that sounded like the rumble of rolling thunder when combined, but the sailor holding her sounded much different. It was low like a panther's warning growl, yet soft with an underlying ferocity that commanded attention. Even his countenance varied greatly from his dirty bearded shipmates.

The armoured sailor had pale skin from what Ruby could see from under the hood with unique white hair that went a little past his eyelashes, and a smooth handsome face with sharp angular features that made Ruby's cheeks glow hotter the longer she stared. The only blemish she could find on this seemingly statuesque stranger was the jagged scar above his left eye that really only added to his mesmerizing features. It was frustrating Ruby how perfect—and clean—this barbarian was compared to her. She wanted to shy away and hide from him, but his gaze kept drawing her back. They were in the midst of a gory skirmish but the only one reflected in his icy stare was her.

Seconds passed in what felt like an eternity to Ruby when the stranger's eyes suddenly snapped to the sky. The albino nevermore rounded the beach letting out an ear-splitting screech that drew attention to the black creatures hanging off of it. The great bird rolled in the air trying to shake off the persistent pests but their claws were in too deep. It plummeted from the sky slowly disintegrating before crashing to the ground as a giant cloud of snow. Ruby struggled to stay on her feet but she ultimately lost the battle against gravity.

The stranger quickly threw themselves on top of Ruby before she got blown away. He used his slightly larger body to shield her from the snow and debris, taking hit after hit from some unknown force. Ruby looked into his eyes and cowered at the anger they contained. She felt small and insignificant under the stranger's gaze, but try as she might she couldn't look away.

The haunting howls of Grimm retreating back into the forest provided little comfort to the terrified redhead. But forgoing the thought of the imminent danger fleeing with their tails between their legs, Ruby was more concerned about the burning heat radiating from her core every time the stranger's left leg rubbed against the small space between her legs. Ruby breathed in a long, shuddering breath when the foreign appendage struck a particularly sensitive area making her already prominent blush darken.

Growing up in a forest miles from civilization with only an emotionally detached woman for company, Ruby never wondered what it would be like to bond with another in the physical sense. Blake was like a sister to her and just like with the Duke's daughter, who visited whenever she could spare the time, there were somethings you don't ask. But now that she was pinned beneath someone of the opposite sex, she wished she had had the foresight of asking what to do in this particularly embarrassing situation.

"Argh!" the barbarian suddenly screamed, his body violently lurching forward as he bit back his agonized yell.

Ruby struggled to push him off of her, but he refused to budge and continued to offer her shelter from the storm buffeting them. The sound of scampering claws scratching against ice quickly fading and the brief glimpse of a small spiked pig running away told Ruby her guardian had just been trampled on by the beast he hunted. A satisfied grin graced Ruby's lips, thanking the benevolent gods for dealing out a bit of divine retribution unto the stranger for making her _feel_ certain unwanted sensations.

Only when the wind died and the snow settled did the stranger finally move. He pushed himself up slowly with the help of his knees and elbows and rolled off of Ruby to rest on his back. Ruby took the chance and scrambled out from under him, putting a few inches of space between them.

All around her were sailors groaning about aches and pains, but surprisingly no Grimm could be seen lingering about; there had been a whole horde of them up until the nevermore's decent. But speaking of aches and pains, Ruby remembered she'd been hurt before meeting the Atlesian Barbarians. She quickly lifted her arm up and screamed in horror when she saw the wound frozen shut by a thin layer of ice.

Rage and uncertainty filled Ruby's body has she glared at the silver- haired stranger, her unwanted arousal completely forgotten. "What did you do to me?" she asked him pointedly. When he paid her no mind, Ruby raised her voice and asked him again, "What did you do to me?!"

The armoured barbarian sighed and sat up with great difficulty, the cracked ice beneath his right arm resonated with the limb in a light blue glow that seemed to hum. Slowly, the ice began to rescind revealing Patch's snowy white sand beneath it. The stranger shivered and looked to Ruby, the anger in his eyes replaced by a weary calm.

"It's dangerous to have open wounds near fresh black dust," he said slowly in that infuriating, yet undeniably haughty feminine tone that made Ruby's stomach do backflips. "I froze your wound to prevent infection; you should be thanking me."

"I—um, thanks…?"

The stranger pulled back his hood and freed the rest of his long, luxurious hair out from beneath the cloak. Ruby watched in awe as he carefully tied his waist length mane into a tight off-kilter ponytail held together by a six pointed hairpiece, and neatly brushed his bangs off to the side revealing the long, jagged scar across his left eye. For a barbaric huntsman, Ruby's clean smelling hero was a stickler for appearances. His primping and grooming reminded her of the Duke's daughter, Yang—Blake's words suddenly repeated themselves in a swirling loop until only one word remained at the tip of her tongue.

"You're… the prince…" Ruby gasped in horror.

The stranger quirked a perfectly shaped brow at Ruby and frowned. "Obviously," he said rather obnoxiously. "Do I look like the rest of these lousy seadogs?"

"No…" Ruby looked at the Prince's sailors gathering around them, relieved that they were all alright for the most part.

The ice was mostly all gone now and to Ruby's surprise the beach was relatively unharmed, not counting the uprooted vegetation and the giant crater created by the dead nevermore; a few of the sailors were busy filling it while some got jokingly kicked in and buried. Just a moment ago these men were a pack of bloodthirsty mercenaries and now they were simply young adults, barely older than Ruby, enjoying the beach.

A short haired woman wearing light armour and a rather large feathered hat approached the exhausted Prince. She smirked after giving her snooty liege a quick once over to make sure he was fine before kicking a little sand at him to get his attention.

"Was that necessary, Captain Adel?" the Prince sneered.

"No, but it was fun," she said with a chuckle as she offered him her hand. "Need a hand?" The Prince begrudgingly accepted the help. "Your birdie drew in a bigger crowd than we anticipated. Got more than enough black dust to satisfy the ass-hats back home."

"Good. Take the excess and sell it to the merchants in town for a decent price, then spend a portion of it on extra supplies for the voyage back. Do what you will for the others with the remaining lien." The Prince then turned to Ruby and asked, "You're a local, yes?"

"Eh, not exactly." Ruby kicked at the sand not wanting to explain her situation to a complete stranger. "Why?"

"I was going to ask if you could direct my captain and her crew to the main village."

Ruby cocked her head to the right. "You can follow the coastline all the way to it. It'll take like two hours on foot though."

"Would you be willing to lead us there?" Captain Adel asked.

"I don't mind but I'm not here alone so I'll have to ask my partner," Ruby said with a shrug.

She didn't want to hike all the way to a town she'd never set foot in, but she did owe the Prince for pulling her back before the nevermore fell. And Blake did always say that she should never let a debt go unpaid.

"If you wouldn't mind," the Prince said gratefully. "You will be reimbursed for your time as well as an additional sum for the assistance you provided during the battle."

"That won't be necessary," a low female's voice said threateningly.

"Blake!" Ruby exclaimed I surprise. She quickly noticed the strange black bow on top of her friend's head and connected it to the Atlesians. Without missing a beat, Ruby went on to introduce her partner to the man responsible for a kingdom of genocidal maniacs.

"Blake Belladonna, lovely name." The Prince straightened their back and squared their shoulders making him seem taller and broader than he really was. "Prince Weiss Schnee of Atlas, heir to the throne and its future king. And you are?"

Ruby pointed to herself. "Me?"

"No, I was asking the good Captain. Of course I was asking you, you dolt!"

"Wow," Ruby grumbled, "kind of don't wanna lead you to town now."

Weiss narrowed his eyes at the defiant young girl in front of him, clicked his tongue disapprovingly and said, "Fine."

He pushed past Ruby followed quickly by an apologetic Captain Adel who begged her Prince to wait.

"Weiss, wait!" the frantic Captain yelled, slightly out of breath after a few too many hurried steps. "We still need a guide!"

Weiss stopped and spun on his heel to face his noisy companion, a nasty sneer marring his beautiful pale face. He held his right hand out to the side and conjured a pulsing glyph that spun lazily in his hand.

"Then I'll make one!" he roared angrily, summoning a small nevermore from the glyph. The crow sized bird cawed and immediately took to the sky, its brilliant white and blue plumage sparkling under the sun's harsh light. "It'll fly ahead and search for the town then circle back to fetch you. Until then gather everything we need to—where did those two go?"


	5. Chapter Four: The Prince and I

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Four**

 _ **The Prince and I**_

* * *

Ruby and Blake dashed rapidly through the beaten trail left behind by the fleeing Grimm to put as much distance between themselves and the Prince's private army as possible. Ruby ran silently after Blake, casting a forlorn look over her shoulder every now and again. Savages they may be, the Atlesians weren't after anything foul. They protected the environment during the battle and fought far outside the reaches of civilization to avoid needless casualties, and the loot they gained on Patch soil was going back to the people it sheltered instead of a wealthier colony in Vale. There was more to them than meets the eye, that much Ruby was sure of, but the beautiful snow-white Prince was the biggest mystery of them all.

She wanted more time to speak with the stoic man despite her earlier reluctance to guide his men. A simple apology would have been enough to change her mind, but a warning look from Blake told the undecided redhead that her apology would never come; Atlesians never bowed to anyone except for their fabled Ice Queen, not even their King. Speaking of Blake, the agile woman was moving recklessly through the forest like a demon was hot on her heels. Another look behind her showed that no one had foolishly followed them into the thicket, so why was Blake so agitated? Had it been the way she fought and blitzed around the sailors? She knew Blake hated it whenever Ruby used her speed to weave through encounters without the proper notices, but the huntsmen were moving along with her like they could predict where she'd show up next. Or maybe it was the way she allowed the Prince to touch her. It hadn't been the gentlest of embraces, if one could even call it that, but the posh young man still protected her from being trampled alive.

Ruby was so confused it was starting to affect her speed negatively. So when their steps fell out of synch, Blake slowed down to match Ruby's sluggish pace with a worried frown on her face. The duo stopped running entirely when they reached a familiar fig tree, gnarled and rooted in place, in a small clearing. Ruby was the first to fall to her knees, gasping and panting desperately for air.

"Blake!" she cried out, haggard and tired from the fight and run. "What was that?! We could've demanded for so much!"

The darker haired woman fell in beside Ruby, focusing on the still frozen wound instead of Ruby's irascible questions. She snarled angrily, baring her tightly gritted teeth and fangs. Blake pressed her hand against the cut, trying to melt the thin ice with her body heat to no avail. Blake's mood soured even more when Ruby gave no reaction to the heavy pressure she applied; the girl was clearly numb to the wound that slowed her down previously.

"Blake?!"

"What?" the woman snapped.

"What's going on? Why did you pull us away when the Prince was going to reward us?" Ruby was beyond pissed at her friend for fleeing like the cowardly Grimm in the Prince's presence. She understood Blake's fear and didn't push her into combat, but Ruby had risked life and limb for that reward. "I want answers, Blake, and I want them now! The Atlesians weren't anything like you told me they were!"

"Ruby, that thing on your arm is spreading!" Blake shouted back, still ignoring Ruby's ire, but was at least honest with herself to be noticeably worried about her friend's health.

Ruby looked at the patch of ice and gasped. It was slowly spreading and constricting the cut, pressing the two sides together like a meticulous stitching. It didn't hurt at all and was actually quite soothing in the tropical jungle heat. Ruby poked at the growing ice and giggled when it shrunk back in protest like a wayward slug.

"This isn't ice dust is it, Blake?" Ruby asked her companion, full of youthful curiosity.

"No, it's magic," confirmed a third voice coming from behind them. "A gift bestowed unto me by the Snow Queen."

Blake immediately took a defensive stance in front of Ruby to which the Prince laughed at humorously. He sat high upon a magnificent armoured white steed with glowing, soulless eyes. It neighed at Blake not liking the sword aimed at its rider one bit and stamped its mighty hooves in warning, exhaling a frosty breath that steamed upwards like a clear blue flame. Weiss patted the warhorse's neck affectionately before dismounting it with a grimace that didn't escape Ruby's discerning silver eyes.

The Prince strode confidently towards Ruby, ignoring Blake and her demands to stay away from her charge, and offered a leather-bound gloved hand to her. The redhead quickly took it, not wanting to seem rude or unappreciative to her unlikely ally. She mumbled a quick thanks once she was back on her feet and stared at the horse glaring at her.

"Um, your horse is looking at me," Ruby announced rather perturbed by the statuesque equine. She swayed to the side, back and forth, watching its head and attentive ears follow.

Weiss smirked at the comment and explained, "He senses my magic on you."

"So this isn't a real horse then is it?" Ruby asked him, more curious now than ever.

Weiss shook his head. "He used to belong to the King before… before they both perished in battle."

"Perished as in dead or parish like the church?" Ruby yanked her hand away from the undead icy beast's muzzle before she could touch it. Weiss looked at her dryly with a raised eyebrow in question. "But it's breathing!"

"Aye, the original Myrtenaster was lost to a Beowulf's maw but now he resides forever at peace by the Snow Queen's side. And through her power, I can call him back from the ethereal world." Weiss chuckled warmly as the horse cantered around Ruby, swishing its tail at her like a happy colt. "He likes you."

"But he's dead. Like, really dead."

Blake pulled Ruby away from the large white stallion, earning a glare from it and its rider. She met the Prince's stare with her own, keeping the struggling Ruby firmly by her side.

"How did you find us?" she asked him venomously. "We left no tracks for you to follow."

Weiss flicked his wrist, pointing a finger at Ruby. "She carries my magic. As long I will it, that ice will never melt and I will be able to track her to the ends of the world should she try and escape."

"Whoa," Ruby gasped in bewilderment as she inspected the ice that wrapped itself fully around her bicep like a clear bandage or bangle.

Blake chided her ward and glowered at the Prince when he moved to Myrtenaster's side. "Who said you could move?!"

"Who said I _couldn't_ move?" he asked back in defiance.

"What do you want from us?"

"I wanted to personally give the heroic Lady Ruby her reward for aiding my huntsmen," he answered digging into a pouch on Myrtenaster's saddle. "I'd offer you the same kindness, but only Ruby assisted in the hunt."

"We don't want your dirty blood money, barbarian!" Blake shouted pushing Ruby further back behind her.

Ruby saw a quick flash of hurt in Weiss' pretty blue eyes before the Prince steeled himself. She wanted her reward, she earned it. Blake had no right to deny what belonged to her, family or not. Taking Blake's wrist into her hand, Ruby nudged it off her shoulder and walked up to the surprised Prince and his excited horse.

Myrtenaster lowered his head and bumped it against Ruby's carefully. She caressed his cheek, finding that the horse's bristly snout was surprisingly warm to the touch, but shivered violently when it breathed on her.

Ruby looked to the Prince who watched her with a pleased smile and asked, "Are you sure it's just the magic that's making him so friendly?"

"No, I think it might be you." Weiss crossed the distance between them and offered her a small satchel. "Here, take this. It's worth more than what you'll ever make working the fields as a farmhand or whatever it is you do to put food on the table."

Ruby let go of Myrtenaster and gingerly picked the pouch up. She unravelled the string keeping it sealed and gasped out loud when the fabric unravelled, revealing a small but whole red fire crystal. Ruby shook her head and pushed it back to Weiss, desperately trying to give the overly generous gift back.

"No, no, no, no!" she stammered incoherently. "This is too much! I wasn't expecting money or anything like this!"

"What did you expect then?" Weiss asked genuinely confused. He looked at the sad crystal in his palm and rewrapped it. No one ever turned down the gift of a whole, untainted dust crystal. No one, not even the Prince of Atlas.

"Like a bit of food or something like that neat hood of yours!" Ruby panted nervously out of breath, she couldn't be caught with something as valuable as an unrefined dust crystal. The Duchess would have her killed.

"You protect the men guarding the future King of Atlas and all you request in return is…" Weiss tugged at the vibrant red cape flowing behind him, "a ratty old cape and some food?"

"Yeah!"

Weiss palmed his face and groaned. He risked a peek at the dark haired older woman and found that she was still glaring at him through the cracks between his fingers. A chill ran up his spine when murderous intent shined darkly in her golden feline eyes. He clenched his jaw and lowered his hand to the hilt of his sword resting on his left hip in warning. A battle between Ruby's companion and himself was not on his agenda today.

"My lady, I must humbly ask you to reconsider."

Ruby balked at the honorific. "No! No! No! _Just_ Ruby is fine! Please."

"Understood," Weiss conceded without a fight. "But why don't you ask more of me? I am a Prince. If I wanted to, I could buy you an entire store of goods as payment for what you did. Those sailors are worth more to me than my title and all of its privileges. I would sooner lay down my own life than see any of them lose theirs."

"I… I'm not allowed in the city and neither is Blake…" Ruby confessed looking away in shame and tears. Myrtenaster picked up on her distress and nuzzled against her, licking away her tears. "We can't be seen with something like this crystal either. So please, give us something small or give us nothing at all."

Weiss narrowed his eyes at Blake in question, but the woman was more concerned about her friend than answering the insulted noble. He rubbed his hands together nervously and made up his mind. He couldn't give the girls what they rightfully deserved due to their reservations, so he would have to do something else worth much more than all the gold in the world: his time. But of course that would have to wait until he finished his business with the presiding Duke governing the island state.

"I'll take back the crystal and offer you something else, but I need one more thing from you to make it fair."

Ruby looked up at the Prince through teary eyes and nodded.

"I would like for you to guide me to the Duke's castle," Weiss proclaimed firmly. "I will not ask about your past or your circumstances, just please aid me in this quest. You do not have to take me directly to his gates, just close enough for me to see its spires in the horizon."

"I-I can do that," Ruby said with a weak smile.

Blake bristled at the counteroffer and shouted, "No! Ruby, you know better than to get close to the Duke and his family!"

"But Blake she—I mean he needs our help! It's a quest, a real live quest by an actual Prince!" Ruby said with new found enthusiasm now that her tears were gone. "It's just like in the books you read to me growing up! I can't let this slip past me."

"Please, Lady Blake?" Weiss pleaded earnestly. "I beseech you to show some kindness. I've been out on the seas for months just so I can speak with the Duke. And… odd as it may sound, I've grown rather fond of your ward's companionship."

"Please, Blake? You don't have to come with us."

"…" Blake's eye twitched at the suggestion. She didn't know why Ruby was so adamant on showing the barbarian anything. Sure the blueblood was relatively handsome with his distinctive feminine appearance, however, he was still an ostentatious royal just like the goddamned Duchess—probably worse due to his status as next-in-line. But seeing the eagerness in Ruby's eyes and smile made her hate herself for not immediately consenting. This was, after all, a once in a life time chance. With a heavy sigh, Blake conceded in defeat. "Fine. I'll go with you. Just so we can be rid of him sooner."

"I beg your pardon?!" Weiss scoffed.

Blake frowned. "You're excused."

Ruby ignored the hostile banter between the two and exclaimed as she darted into her best friend's arms, hugging Blake until her face turned red from the pressure, "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"A-Air!" Blake painfully gasped.

"Woops!" Ruby immediately blushed and relinquished her hold on Blake. "I'm just so excited! A quest, Blake! We're going on an actual quest!"

"I'll scout ahead and make sure we're on the right path. Do you remember which way our campsite is?" Blake asked pre-emptively.

Ruby nodded and pointed straight ahead. "Just gotta make a clear cut through here and we're home."

"Okay, just making sure." Blake turned to the Prince next and said, "Keep her safe, your _highness_."

The blush on Ruby's face came back with a mighty vengeance. She tackled-charged her mentor, putting all of her weight into it, and forced her away from Weiss before a verbal war could yelped in surprise and struggled valiantly, but the sixteen-year-old was proving herself to be a true contender.

Weiss smiled at the bickering duo, thinking back to his own harmless squabbles with the good Captain Adel. True friendship was a rare commodity in Atlas, even more so in the royal circle. The higher up you were in the hierarchy, the more people clamoured to gain your favour and Weiss was at the top right next to the King and Queen. If it weren't for his annoyingly confident confidant, the surly Prince would be alone without a friend to call on.

Weiss felt his strength leave him, dropping his smile as his eyes grew dull. He realized what was happening and blinked away the sleep trying to claim his consciousness. Losing control of his body now would not bode well for him. Lost in the middle of a jungle with two unknown women and his crew miles away, Weiss would be dead before his head hit the ground.

"Alright, since we've all come to a decision, let's make haste to the castle!" Weiss said, taking firm control of the situation. He didn't want to waste anymore time trying to acquaint himself with the two strays, he could do that on the trail.

"If we hurry, we'll make it to the castle's proximity before sundown. But before we get moving, your highness, make sure to keep Ruby safe. I don't trust you, so remember that I'll be watching," Blake interjected before quickly clambering up a tall, thick trunked tree.

Weiss shook his head called to his horse. Upon hearing his master's voice, like a well-trained beast of burden, Myrtenaster trotted to his side and whinnied letting his Prince know he was ready. Weiss grabbed both the reigns and the saddle's horn firmly and stepped carefully into the stirrup before he quickly hoisted himself up with practiced ease. Myrtenaster huffed at the familiar weight but didn't complain, instead the white stallion cantered back to a starry-eyed Ruby and nudged his head against her. Weiss understood the unspoken request and followed through with it aiming to please his four legged companion.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" he asked with a confident smirk. Ruby shyly shook her head. "Would you like to?"

"Can I?"

Weiss frowned. "I don't know, can you?"

"Ugh, fine. May I?" Ruby asked, puffing out her cheeks after she stubbornly corrected herself.

The small linguistic amendment was rewarded justly with an outstretched hand and a genuine smile from the frosty Prince. Ruby couldn't suppress her blush or giddy smile when Weiss guided her through all the motions and steps to properly mount a horse.

"Are you comfortable?" Weiss asked Ruby now that she was seated in front of him.

Ruby weakly nodded, leaning slightly back. "Y-Yeah, so what now?"

"Easy, take the reigns." Weiss showed her how to hold them before letting go. He had his right hand wrapped around the saddle's horn, his arm consequently rounding Ruby's waist, with the other resting lazily on the hilt of his sword. "Whenever you're ready, give Myrtenaster's side a gentle squeeze to tell him to go. After that use the reigns to guide him, but remember you don't need to use excessive force."

"Excessive force?" Ruby repeated asking for clarification.

"Slapping the reigns and kicking his sides," Weiss responded with a bitter underlying tone. "He may not be a living, breathing horse anymore but Myrtenaster still deserves respect."

Ruby nodded her head and readied herself to guide the white beast. It didn't take a lot to coax Myrtenaster to start walking in the direction she wanted and the horse seemed more than happy to comply. Weiss' further instructions from there were clear and concise, making it easy for Ruby to learn as they went the trail.

There was a lot more to horseback riding than Ruby thought there was. She had to sit up straight— absolutely no slouching—to avoid hurting herself and using the surprisingly comfortable Prince as a back rest. There was also the undeniable burn in both her abdominals and her legs. Weiss laughed it off and said it was normal, but Ruby called bull on it because why would any sane person put themselves through this torture. Once again Weiss just laughed it off and told her to look on the bright side. Ruby politely held her tongue back, not wanting to scandalize the Prince by saying that there wasn't going to be a bright side after their trip, only a dark side with discoloured purple and yellow splotches on her rump.

They were halfway back to Ruby's barn when she noticed something off about the Prince. He was being strangely quiet now despite practically talking Ruby's ears off earlier by asking constant questions about Patch and some sort of gem. She found it mildly irritating since she was trying to concentrate on not falling off of the freakishly tall horse but now that he's run out of questions, Ruby found herself missing his voice.

"Hey, so, what's Atlas like?" Ruby asked trying to reinitiate the conversation. She waited patiently for her riding instructor to gather his thoughts, expecting some sort of grand explanation about why the snowy kingdom was superior in everyway compared to Patch, but nothing of the sort occurred. Instead the Prince remained quiet and motionless, his hand barely holding onto the saddle's horn. "Hey, I answered all your questions! The least you can do is answer mine."

The Prince continued to ignore her.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked tentatively with a quick peek over her shoulder. The Prince's eyes were closed as if he was asleep, put under by the slow pace Myrtenaster walked. But the light trail of blood dribbling down his chin told Ruby a far more alarming tale. "Weiss?! Hey, can you hear me?!"

Ruby pulled back on the reigns and stirrups, begging Myrtenaster to stop. The sudden stop had Weiss' head lolling back as his body jerked with the motions, parting his lips and teeth ever so slightly, allowing all the blood pooled inside his mouth to spill out. Ruby screamed out in terror, frantically calling out for Blake and for Weiss to wake up. The Prince's fingers slipped off of the horn leaving Ruby's desperate hold on his arm the only thing keeping his encumbered body mostly upright and on the saddle. But between holding onto the reigns and Weiss' armoured arm, Ruby was quickly tiring out. She yanked the Prince towards her with all the strength her non-dominant hand could muster, praying that the slight shift would jostle him out of unconsciousness. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, Weiss' left side was just too heavy due to his holstered sword. Ruby felt herself slowly slipping out of the saddle along with the unconscious bloodstained Prince.

Ruby helplessly watched the ground approach, bracing herself for what would be an undoubtedly painful fall. She shut her eyes and waited.

 _Thudd_

The impact wasn't nearly as bad as she expected. And despite the fact that she and Weiss were a messy, mangled mound of limbs and messy hair, the ground smelled a lot nicer than it usually did which wasn't so bad compared to the fresh blood and gore she originally anticipated. In fact it didn't feel at all like flattened earth should.

Light footfalls bounded up to the jumbled duo, slowing only when they neared Ruby.

"I know you're awake," Blake said in her usual monotone.

Ruby cracked an eye open, seeing past the black fur her head was nestled in, and watched her friend kneel down with that godforsaken know-it-all smirk Ruby hated.

"Comfy?" the cat Faunus asked jokingly. "Why don't you hug him a little tighter, I bet that Captain he's sleeping with won't mind."

Ruby pushed off of Weiss, though careful not harm him, and tackled Blake as soon as the other woman was in arms reach. Blake fell backwards, surprised to feel Ruby's tightly wound arms around her middle section in a hug.

"Ruby?" The girl in question began sniffling. "Hey, I was only kidding." Ruby shook her head, tears wetting the light t-shirt Blake wore through. "We need to get his highness back to the barn and treat whatever wounds he has, and you know as well as I do that I can't to this without you. So come on and help me drag him back to camp."

Ruby reluctantly pulled away from her mentor's warmth and sat up to properly face her. Tears still freely rolled off of her cheeks as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. Ruby hiccupped and blubbered trying speak, but one look at the bloodied Prince and her own crimson stained hands left had a profoundly negative effect on the teen. A dam broke inside of Ruby ushering forth a wave of fresh, hot tears with no end in sight. She screamed out absolute anguish, rubbing her hands together trying to peel off the still wet blood like it were a sticky mucous membrane.

"Ruby! Ruby, get a hold of yourself!" Blake yelled trying to grab hold of the trembling girl's hands. She managed to restrain them if only for a brief moment before Ruby began throttling herself to get away. "Ruby!"

"No, no, no, no!" the redhead repeated despairingly. "Not again. Not again!"

Blake let go of her ward and slapped her hard across the face, stunning the poor girl as her cheek reddened. "Are you back with me?" she asked sternly not wanting to hit Ruby again.

The girl slowly reached to touch her cheek, the sting emanating from the bruised, tender flesh felt miles away. Ruby blinked away her tears and nodded her head.

"Are you really? Because the more time we waste here the less time we have to help _him_ ," Blake pointed the shallow breathing Prince. "So are you with me or not, Ruby? Because I'm perfectly fine with leaving him to die out here."

Myrtenaster pawed at the ground threateningly, blowing a rush of cold air out of his flared nostrils, ready to attack Blake should the Faunus woman abandon his master. Blake glared at the beast, her eyes begging him it to stay back as she dealt with Ruby. He knew that look and conceded, thinking only of Weiss' wellbeing.

Ruby swallowed the lump lodged deep within her throat. She looked at her gloved hands, the leather soaked with a mixture of disgust and sadness. Blake approached her slowly, showing the redhead both of her empty palms, and carefully undid the buckles securing the leather to her wrists. The dark haired woman made quick work of the offending articles and tucked them in the minimal space between her hip and her belt.

"Thanks," Ruby said weakly as she raised both hands up for inspection. Her left hand was clean save for the clear sheen of sweat and tiny bits of sand stuck between her fingernails. And true to her earlier prediction, Ruby's right hand was coated with blood—her blood. Blake held back her comments, but Ruby couldn't care less at this point. "Let's go."

Myrtenaster trotted closer to Ruby, ignoring the curious look Blake sent him. He lowered his head, brushing his nose against her cheek before going even lower so he could nibble on her sleeve to get her attention. When Ruby looked up at him, Myrtenaster jumped to attention and motioned to the satchels strapped to his saddle.

"There's something in there that you want me to get?" Ruby asked the stallion who whinnied with glee. She got up and rummaged through it—singlehandedly. "What am I looking for here, boy?"

Blake got up as well and cautiously approached her student. Myrtenaster didn't seem to mind, a quick glance was all he spared her before turning back to Ruby. The horse was smart and expressive, unlike his Atlesian overlord, and he was kind. If she were to hazard a guess, Blake would have suggested a cloth or something else to clean the blood off of his master. Blake didn't have to think long before Ruby found what Myrtenaster wanted.

"A carrot? Really?" Ruby deadpanned. Myrtenaster nodded and made a show of himself by chattering his teeth. Ruby rolled her eyes and gave the undead horse his treat. "Hm, what else is in here?"

Curious, Blake leaned over Ruby's shoulder and fought the violent urge to choke her friend when she saw what was inside. She growled in disbelief but sighed when she realized that this was typical Ruby. But between her exasperation and annoyance, Blake had to commend Myrtenaster; the horse was really smart. She didn't know if he was like this before his end or if he achieved enlightenment during his time in the far plain, but she was still grateful.

The satchel Ruby was rummaging through was filled with emergency medical supplies. From sterilized sutures to rubbing alcohol and herbs, the Prince was prepared for everything—well, nearly everything. He was, for all accounts and purposes, still bleeding and unconscious.

Clearing her throat, Blake brought Ruby back to focus. "Ruby, the Prince?"

"Oh!" the redhead gasped in surprise like she had forgotten all about him. "Right…"

"We should probably load him up onto Myrtenaster's back," Blake suggested. "I'll take his arms, you take his legs." They both quickly positioned themselves at either end of the Prince and lifted. Almost immediately the two women laid him down and back away. Blake was the first one to say anything. "Um," she hummed, "is it just me or does this guy weigh nothing?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Reposition?"

"Yeah," Blake murmured quietly in deep thought. Now that they knew the Prince weighed little more than a couple buckets of water, Blake began searching for the Prince's injury. The black fur and red cape hid his wound well hampering any progress Blake would have made through visual inspection.

"What's the plan?" Ruby asked.

"Dig a hole and shove him in?" Blake jokingly suggested to hide her concern. She realized that if there wasn't an open wound then there wasn't much they could do if it was serious.

Ruby frowned at her mentor not noticing the underlying meaning behind it. She scratched her head in frustration and said, "I get that you hate Atlas, but you can't hate an individual person without proper cause! Weiss hasn't done anything to hurt you! She—god damn it, I meant _he_ saved me when he could have left me to die! He even went out of his way to find us just so he could give me a reward. I don't know about you, but to me that says he's a good person."

"Ruby, I—what was that?" Blake's Faunus ears swivelled around trying to pick up the noise again. She narrowed her eyes, head turning in the direction her ears directed her to. It was dizzying how fast the threat was moving. "Ruby, forget using the horse, pick the Prince—throw him over your shoulder or whatever—just get yourselves out of here. **Now**!"

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Ruby pulled Weiss to his feet, the Prince's right arm slung over Ruby's shoulders. She secured her handsome burden and began the long, arduous task of hauling him back to her barn. If it hadn't been for Weiss' bulky armour and sword, she would have just picked him up, as suggested, and bridal carried the Prince back home like an eager groom or bride in Ruby's case—not that she saw herself as the Prince's betrothed or anything of the sort. That would be silly and wistful thinking. It was just a harmless thought dreamt up by an idealistic young woman entering adulthood.

A vicious roar broke though the trees, startling Ruby and all the living creatures nearby. She upped her pace, ignoring the burning sensation in her legs and arms. Just a bit further and they'd be home.

"Almost there, Weiss!" Ruby panted. "Almost there!"

True to her word, a dilapidated old barn and a dried up field could be seen in the near distance.

Ruby smiled weakly.

Just a few kilometres to go.


	6. Chapter Five: Shelter

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Five**

 _ **Shelter**_

* * *

"Blake, you are such a dumbass!" Ruby screamed vehemently as she fiddled with the fresh bandage on Blake's arm. "I cannot believe you went and did that! You're supposed to be the smart one here!"

"Hey! You should be thanking me not insulting me," the Faunus woman countered indignantly, wincing slightly whenever Ruby pulled the dressing in silent retaliation.

"Oh my god, how the hell do you use this thing?" Ruby huffed in frustration as she wrangled with the strange Atlesian bandage. She managed to tie it in place after a full minute of trial and error and moved to disinfect another nasty cut further down Blake's forearm. "Y'know, if it weren't for Myrtenaster hauling your stupid ass back home, I'd be burying you! The compost pile would've been so happy."

"What?!" Blake roared, her voice loud enough to wake the dead from their eternal slumber.

"You heard—hey, what are you—?! Sit back down! I'm not done patching you up!" Ruby shouted after Blake who got up and headed to the door.

Angry golden eyes narrowed dangerously in warning, daring the angry redhead they were aimed at to try and make a move. "I'm done getting yelled at," she hissed, "so I'm going out to hunt. Don't wait up."

"Ugh! Fine, be that way! Run away, Blake! I hope that cut gets infected, you jerkbutt!" Ruby practically screamed.

"Be quiet and go play doctor with that sheep in wolf's clothing!" Blake shouted back in finality, ending their argument by slamming the rickety door shut behind her.

The weathered wood shook on its rusty hinges, back and forth, forward and back, as if it were trying to decide which way it would topple. The wrenching sounds coming from the old timber were ominous, like the dying wails of an animal crying for its kin to come back. Ruby waited with bated breath, praying desperately that the door stayed upright. And as the building continued to shake, the ancient dust that settled on the rafters began fluttering down like dander. A couple nerve-wracking seconds passed where it could have gone either way but thankfully the door, just like the rest if the barn, held together—somehow. It was an honest to God miracle the entire thing didn't cave in on Ruby and her injured Prince.

When the dust settled Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging down as all the tension left her body in a collective rush. Now that she was alone in the quiet barn with no one else to talk to, Ruby's mind flitted back to what happened an hour ago. She was halfway finished tucking Weiss snuggly in her cot when Myrtenaster's high-pitched cry alerted her. Worried out of her mind, Ruby rushed out and saw that Blake was barely in the saddle, her arms dangling lifelessly over the sides of Myrtenaster's neck as her head rested in his snowy mane. The older teen wasn't badly hurt, a little scuffed up here and there but she was still in far better condition than Weiss was overall. The knowledge did little to pacify Ruby's anger however.

Blake was all she really had in this godforsaken world. Ruby technically had the Duke's daughter, Yang, as a friend but she didn't count for many unfortunate reasons. Yang was nice, a complete and total sweetheart by any standard, but her company was rare and it made Ruby feel guilty more times than not. So at the end of the day, the blonde personified ray of sunshine destined to one day govern Patch could never compare to her mentor's constant but silent presence. The two were literally night and day, but at least Ruby wouldn't get anyone sent to the dungeon if someone saw her with Blake.

Ruby sighed and rubbed her hands together nervously. She was starting to regret all the mean things she said to Blake, not because the words were untrue but because she couldn't properly articulate the worry she felt. Growing up in the rainforest away from civilization and getting cared for by someone just a couple years older turned Ruby into the emotionally stunted young woman she was today. Not to look down on the effort Blake took to teach Ruby, but the woman was just as lost as she was—or worse if the dark, gloomy look Blake held whenever she thought Ruby wasn't looking was anything to go off of. From nondescript tales to spotty recollections, Ruby's mentor was as mysterious as the dark side of the moon. She wasn't even entirely sure if "Blake" was her real name. But like the dinky old barn she called home, she was just glad to have Blake in her life.

Before her ruminations could take her even further down the rabbit hole, Ruby noticed that the air around her suddenly dropped. It was an odd chill since there was still plenty of sunlight poking through the many, _many_ holes in her barn and there definitely wasn't a breeze passing by or else she would have been more worried about the roof caving in. But the temperature was still plummeting lower than anything Ruby had ever felt before. It was legitimately cold around her now, almost like the salty ocean waters at night whenever a stray northern wind blew southward.

"How much did you see?" a low threatening voice asked behind Ruby. The redhead jolted up straight, her head turning to face the speaker. "Don't move!" they hissed making Ruby freeze. A thin blade made out of gleaming ice blue steel, sharpened to inhuman perfection, was pressed up against Ruby's neck. "Now answer me if you wish to live."

Ruby gulped, her skin just barely grazing the ice. "U-Um, w-what do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"Do not play dumb with _me_ ," Weiss growled, tilting her sword slowly at an angle to see Ruby's frightened eyes in the faint reflection. "Were you the one that stripped me of my armour?"

"Y-Yes! But only because you were hurt!" Ruby explained. "When the Nevermore crashed, you pushed me down and you used yourself to shield me… I think it was a Beowolf's claw that pierced through your armour."

Weiss paused. "Is that so?"

"You saved me, I couldn't let you die!" The blade retracted from her neck allowing Ruby to look at the Prince. "Your highness?"

Weiss looked back at her conflicted. "That woman. The one in white and black, has… has she seen?" Ruby nodded. "Will… you or she tell anyone?"

Ruby smiled at the Prince weakly. "Who would we tell? Blake's all I have…"

"Then I can trust you to keep this a secret?" Weiss asked pleadingly.

"I don't think it's much of a secret but yeah, I will."

The ice sword shrunk, melting back into Weiss' magic imbued right hand. Ruby watched it with earnest interest, curious as to how it was all possible. The Prince's hand wasn't a normal human or Faunus hand, that much was plain to see. It was made out of solid ice, but it wasn't clear or smooth like the sword that Weiss had pressed against Ruby's neck. It was white like the snow yet warm to the touch like her skin. There was even a slow rhythmic pulse running through it which caught Ruby completely by surprise. But despite the warmth from a direct touch, there was an undeniable chill permeating around it like an aura that kept in time with her heartbeat.

"What?" Weiss asked blushing.

"Your hand, it's so cool!" Ruby whisper excitedly as she reached to touch Weiss' hand .

Weiss blinked and raised it up so Ruby could see it better without touching her. "You're more fascinated by _this_ than the other more glaring question in this room?"

"I may live out in the woods but I still know better than to pry," Ruby answered plainly. "If you want to talk about it, we can. But only if you want to. I mean, who cares that you're actually a girl. It would take a deaf, blind person not to figure it out."

"Then I must be the Prince to a kingdom full of deaf, blind citizens."

"Are you serious?" Ruby gawked mid laugh.

Weiss reluctantly nodded. "My… gender… has been a closely guarded secret all my life."

"Why?"

"Circumstances," Weiss replied coldly.

"How are you up anyways? That wound you suffered from was pretty nasty," Ruby shuffled closer to Weiss, her nervousness completely gone now that Weiss was calm again. "I know my bed isn't the most comfortable, but you should go lie back down."

Weiss nodded her head, the energy she gained from that little bit of rest earlier had been spent on conjuring the sword. She looked down at herself and winced at the sight of her unclothed upper-body and the blood-soaked bandages wrapped tightly around her meager bust and torso. Weiss gingerly touched the sore spot near her ribs and felt a slight dip in the bandages where a her flesh was punctured. A deep frown was etched on her face knowing full well that the wound would leave a permanent ugly scar on her otherwise flawless skin. But Ruby didn't need to know that, so Weiss filed it away under the other things she would lament over later.

Ruby looked at her with a guilty expression and asked, "Do you want me to redo them? They aren't too tight are they?"

"N-No! No, it's quite alright," Weiss answered with a heavy sigh, her arm going up to shield her chest from Ruby's sight. "Can I ask for my shirt back though?"

"Um, it's kind of ruined…"

"Excuse me?"

Ruby got up and retrieved the article of clothing she had on top of Weiss' neatly piled armour and cloak. She lifted it up and showed Weiss the telltale bloody hole in its right side. Weiss' eyes narrowed at it, pain etched in her beautiful eyes as she dragged them to her armour. If her shirt was damaged then Ruby was telling her the truth when she said her armour had been pierced. Ruby watched the Prince clueless to the sadness tormenting her. Sentimentality wasn't looked fondly upon in Atlesian royalty, but Weiss had never fit within their rules anyhow.

"See what I mean?" Ruby offered the dejected Prince a smile hoping she'd smile back. "I'd offer you something else, but the only other piece of clothing I have is the thing I use to farm with… and that hasn't been clean since the day I got it, heh."

"I-It's quite… alright, I suppose." Weiss was grateful Ruby left her pants and greaves on however, so at least she wasn't completely exposed to the world.

"I'm sorry, I'd try to wash it but fresh water is really hard to come by in the rainforest," Ruby said bashfully.

"No, it really is quite alright," Weiss replied with a strained smile. "Fresh water is abundant in Atlas, so I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to ration it."

"Trust me, it's a real pain especially on super hot days and I'm out foraging or hunting."

Weiss decided it was high time she listened to Ruby and get some rest. Knowing not to push herself, Weiss carefully stood up using her knee for support—a sudden sharp pain ripped through her side forcing the Prince to her knees. The bloodstain grew, blotting out more of the fresh white cotton at a slow steady rate. Ruby called out her name in a panic, but Weiss stubbornly held her hand out stopping Ruby in her tracks before she could help her.

"Oh no, oh no, Weiss!" Ruby called out again fighting the need to help her new friend.

"J-Just…. I'm okay, I'm okay."

"But—"

Weiss took in deep, soothing breaths urging her body to comply as she slowly got back up to her feet using the wall for support this time around. The pain was proving to be more than Weiss could handle now that she was fully conscious and aware of it. Left with no choice, Weiss swallowed hard and gritted her teeth as she bent her arm and pressed her right hand to her side summoning her magic. The icy limb glowed a beautiful, pulsing pale blue light as ice began spreading over the bandages, focusing the area surrounding the entry wound and any area damp with blood to contain it.

Now that her side was completely numb, Weiss allowed a full minute to pass before she attempted to move again. Ruby watched her like a hawk as she hobbled quite pitifully back to the cot. Once she was comfortable, Weiss smiled at Ruby thanking her wordlessly for not jumping in to assist. Ruby returned it in kind and allowed herself a moment to bask in Weiss' presence like a devoted worshipper staring at her God's face, enraptured.

"Do you want something to drink?" Ruby asked meekly trying to fill in the silence. She knew the Prince was tired and that they both desperately needed some rest after the day they had, but she felt the need to keep talking to her. "I have water if you want some, but it isn't the nice cold refreshing kind… though you could probably fix that with your neat ice magic."

"No, I think I'd like to get some rest," Weiss said declining the offer politely.

"Y-Yeah, I should probably do the same."

Weiss curiously looked around the old barn for the first time trying to find where Ruby would sleep. The barn had a wooden floor at least, and there was a small area near the foot of the cot covered by large thick leaves that served as a quaint sitting area; that was where Weiss had seen Ruby tending to Blake. Holes of varying sizes and shapes covered the walls and roof providing an adequate amount of natural light inside the structure, but even without the light there would be nothing to accidentally walk into. The barn was quite frankly empty with nothing inside worth noting. Other than a rickety table where her armour sat with two chairs pushed in, a barrel filled with the water Ruby previously offered, and a set of rusty farming tools resting in the far right corner next to the front door, there was nothing.

The Prince wondered how anyone could live like this and thought back to her own grand living arrangements back in Atlas. While it wasn't nearly as glamorous like the royal palace she would soon call home, the Schnee family manor was still quite comfortable. It had everything a person could need and more. Weiss hated to admit it, but even the servants living there lived better lives than Ruby did. It was honestly quite heartbreaking to see someone so caring live so inadequately humble. Weiss decided then and there that after she concluded her business with the Duke, she'd make the trip to town and purchase Ruby everything she'd need. And during the process of furnishing Ruby's home, if given permission, she'll see to having her crew rebuild the barn from the ground up—with actual rooms this time.

"Weiss, you alright?" Ruby looked at her new friend with concern.

Weiss nodded her head calmly and said, "Forgive me for asking, but where will you be sleeping?"

Ruby optimistically pointed to the heaping leaf pile and said, "Despite how it looks, it really is comfy."

"I'm sorry, I took your bed…"

"Well you're hurt, and I wouldn't really call it a bed… it's got more leaves in it than a tree."

"That," Weiss chuckled, "that explains all the crunching noises I heard whenever I moved."

"You get used to it," Ruby shrugged nonchalantly. "Blake and I usually share it when she stays over."

"Oh, are you and she…?" Weiss asked with a mild blush.

Ruby cocked an eyebrow at the embarrassed Prince and smirked. "Nope. She's just a friend—sister really but nothing more."

"If that's the case," Weiss patted the spot beside her, "why don't we share? This bed is big enough for two and without my armour on I really don't take up much space."

Now it was Ruby's turn to blush. "N-No, it's okay. You need to be as comfortable as possible, your, uh, highness."

"Ruby, I apologize if I'm being too forward, but now that you know of my secret… I hope we can be friends. So please, as long as it's just us, I'd like it if you could call me by name."

"Your Captain, she called you Weiss too didn't she?" Ruby asked, her blush intensifying. She remembered the joke Blake said earlier and wondered if it held any truth—not that she intended to do anything sordid with the Prince herself, she was just curious. "She was really pretty."

"I did say only a few knew the truth," Weiss smiled fondly as she thought of the good Captain that stood by her side. "Coco's been my only friend for as long as I can remember. She's fought by my side countless times and saved me more than once doing so."

Weiss' answer failed ease Ruby's worries. "I won't have an angry Captain destroying my ugly barn if I agree to sleep with you will I?"

"Only if you phrase it in such away in front of her," Weiss chuckled lightheartedly drawing an even deeper blush from Ruby. "But even then again, knowing her, she'd be far more interested in the sordid details than she would be in vivisecting you. Blood stains and whatnot be damned on fine Atlesian cotton."

"Y-You know what I meant!" Ruby yelled furiously at the jibe. "Forget it, I'm sleeping on the leaves!"

Ruby turned her back to Weiss and stuck her nose up in the air stubbornly. Uncivilized savage or not, Ruby was still a lady! A lady that was struggling to keep her mind out of the gutter, but a lady she was nevertheless. And so what if the Prince's thick Atlesian accent did unholy things to her virgin psyche? She was allowed to dream.

"I hope that doesn't _leaf_ you with a sore back," Weiss responded with a cheeky grin, the joke making Ruby snort an unwarranted giggle. "Come back. I assure you, nothing will happen if you share with me. Coco may be protective, but that woman has no control over what I do. Plus, she's married with children if that will make you feel better."

While her blush died down Ruby thought about the offer and ultimately gave in to her sleepy desires, the bed really was more comfortable than the pile after all. Weiss settled down beside her, scooting as close to the wall as possible to give Ruby adequate room to lie down. They didn't speak, both of them too afraid to make things awkward, but it was nice. The gentle cold emanating from Weiss' strange magical right hand kept the heat generated by two bodies close together at a minimum making the shared space and blanket even more welcoming. The lonely Prince was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. Ruby turned around as quietly as she could and watched Weiss sleep until she couldn't keep her own eyes open any longer.

A lot had happened today but Ruby was grateful for the outcome even if it was a little awkward at times. Weiss, the scary Prince of Atlas, was a lot warmer than she expected— personality-wise not literally. Ruby learned early on that the Prince's body temperature was naturally just cool to the touch, almost as if she had liquid ice coursing through her veins instead of blood. She was also friendly and polite like how the Duke's daughter tented to act around people of high standing. Of course the Lady was much different outside of polite company whereas Weiss was still a reserved, quiet gentleman in private.

Ruby frowned in her sleep, her painfully vivid dreams showing Weiss introducing Yang to her crew as they boarded her vessel. The quest Weiss was on could only have been about one thing: finding a prospective bride to take home. It made complete sense to her, the handsome Prince meeting the beautiful noblewoman from a faraway land and falling in love. It was the typical fairy tale romance, where everyone excluding the villain lived happily ever after. Only Ruby didn't want it to end like that with her stuck on the island waiting for the day a Grimm got lucky shot in. She needed to break free from her island prison and spread her wings. There was no future for her or Blake in Patch, just pain and misery.

Hours passed by innocuously, the only disturbance to Ruby's fitful sleep was the pained moaning coming from her bedmate whenever she shifted. Ruby, in the state between consciousness and sleep, reacted to the slumbering Prince's pain by drawing her closer to her body from behind. The tactic worked brilliantly because the tighter Ruby held on the sounder Weiss slept, so Ruby did the only thing she could do and enjoyed every second of it as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

In the sanctity of her dreamless slumber, Ruby's own aches and pains were pushed to the back of her mind in favour of more pleasing thoughts such as the questionable flutter in her chest and the need to stay close to Weiss. It felt like she was travelling down an endless road where all the paths inevitably led back to Weiss and her devastating good looks and breathtaking smile. She questioned herself profusely asking why she kept getting dragged back, but most of all Ruby wanted to know why she felt so strongly for someone she had literally just met. Ruby knew that it started when Weiss froze the cut on her arm—it was still frozen—and it only escalated from there. Ruby was a little surprised, however. Somehow, amidst her rambling thoughts, Ruby realised that the uncomfortable yet joyous feelings stirring deep inside of her were ones of affection. She dug as deep as she could go without breaking her brain trying to find anything resembling the horror stories Blake told her about same-sex relations in other countries. But try as she might, Ruby couldn't find a single shred of disgust or self-loathing for feeling that way towards another woman. She actually felt quite relieved because at least now she knew she wasn't completely broken.

It was rather funny now that Ruby had time to think of it. Weiss' disguise didn't fool her for a second; the Prince was far too gorgeous to ever be a man, try as she might to convince otherwise. The bulky armour had her second guessing for a bit but now that Weiss was nestled securely within her arms just below her chin, Ruby had no doubt on the matter. It also really helped cement the truth when Ruby saw Weiss' petite yet perky breasts unimpeded when she was wiping down her body—her frustratingly toned body and well-defined abs had the power to send Ruby's mind to sinful, unholy lands.

Ruby's body had a mind of its own. With her conscious thoughts busy trying to escape Weiss, her body was free to indulge. Beneath the frayed linen covers that were pulled up to both girls' shoulders, Ruby's right hand was gently tracing over the contoured lines defining Weiss' core with featherlike touches. The feeling of Weiss' soft, supple skin ghosting between her fingertips set electricity surging through her body, adjuring her to continue feeling the magnificent white-haired creature laying beside her.

Suddenly the barn doors flew open and a loud jovial voice boomed throughout exclaiming, "Honey, I'm hooome!"

Ruby's eyes snapped open revealing terrified silver eyes carefully hidden behind Weiss' luxurious white mane. She didn't dare move because no matter what she did there was no way she could explain her way out of this, so she might as well enjoy what little time she had left alive by holding Weiss even tighter.

"Wakey-Wakey, Ruby!" shouted the towering blonde who strode confidently into the barn. "Big sis has some presents—what the frilly hell is going on here and who the fuck is that?!"

"Yang, stop yelling—oh my," Blake said emerging quietly from behind the shocked noblewoman.

Ruby sighed and nudged Weiss' head off of her left arm, taking extra care not to wake her. Weiss grumbled at the loss of Ruby's body heat but continued to sleep nevertheless. Ruby pulled the covers off of herself, got out of bed, and readjusted the blanket on Weiss before bravely facing her sister and her mentor.

"Let's talk outside," she said sternly leaving no room for the two older women to argue.

* * *

 **Annnnd there we have it! The big twist that I hinted at in my first author's not. If you can't recall, allow me to assist you. I said the book got rejected because it was so incredibly gay. Like, the first novel in the series isn't as gay as the second… which is so stupidly gay I cannot even begin to explain.**

 **But yep, there we go. And before anyone asks, no, Weiss is not trans or non-binary. She's uncomfortable with her body because of her role in society, but in truth she wishes she could be open about it and explore her femininity without losing her status as Prince. Another thing to note is that in previous chapters Weiss speaks in a lower register, but in this chapter she's speaking in her natural tone the way she would in Coco's presence alone.**

 **Another thing, part of my style is falling hard and falling fast. That isn't the case in RoseSnow. On the brighter side, it really won't feel like a slow burn because I don't have the attention span to write one.**

 **That is all. A gooduh-bye.**


	7. Chapter Six: Polar Opposites

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Six**

 _ **Polar Opposites**_

* * *

Ruby decided to guide her guests to a small tropical grove she found behind her barn to hide from the blaring sun and relax in the shade as they talked. It was one of her favourite places to disappear to in the jungle when the world was just too much for her to handle.

The clearing was a natural paradise deep within Grimm territory where no one but her could find it. The first hint of its location was in the air. Fragrant wild flowers bloomed year round in the crevasse giving it a strong unique aroma compared to the rest of the humid forest. It also had a crystal clear lazy stream cutting through the fertile land, rolling over mossy rocks and old twigs as it travelled down south back into the ocean. Yang and Blake were catching up, the two trailing behind Ruby lost in a world of their own. She smiled at their quiet laughter and let them be.

The two were unlikely friends and their physical closeness left Ruby suspecting that there was more to it than they let on. It wasn't every day that the stoic Blake Belladonna smiled and blushed and it was apparent now that there was only one person who could manage that. Not even Weiss with her exotic foreign accent and jaw dropping good looks could get Blake to falter the way Yang could. Perhaps it really was love that made Blake gravitate towards Yang? Ruby continued forward with a bright smile after that thought. Because if Blake and Yang could forge a bond like that despite their differences, then Ruby had a chance with...

The barn finally fell out of view and Ruby began to notice something off about herself. Blake and Yang were sweating buckets, practically melting under the midday sun, but Ruby felt nothing of the sort. She was feeling refreshed like she had been lounging under a palm tree near the beach all day, sipping on some delightful ocean chilled coconut milk. Maybe it was delirium brought on by an infection, she thought while she absentmindedly reached for her frozen injury. That was when she felt _it_.

It emanated from her injured arm in soothing waves the same way the cold rippled off of Weiss' hand. It was faint at first, but more she concentrated on it the easier it was for Ruby to feel that the magical bangle protecting her cut was throbbing to a foreign rhythm. It was much slower than her heartbeat, one pulse for every two of hers, then one for every four when she realized it was Weiss' heart she felt thrumming against her skin.

 _What is happening to me?_ Ruby asked herself fighting down the giddy grin threatening to pry her lips apart.

Exhilaration washed over her like a giant wave, crashing into her body with a force so strong Ruby thought she'd fall back and faint on the spot. The desire to run back to Weiss' side and retake her place next to the Prince was almost maddening. Every fiber of her being begged her to go back and Ruby knew she was close to complying with every paranoid look she shot over her shoulder.

" _Go back to her!"_ the little voice in her head cried. _"We belong to her, we need to go back!"_

Ruby bit her bottom lip and shut her eyes tight, praying that the painful tugging in her chest would stop. The strange sensation from earlier had escalated into something entirely otherworldly now that she was aware of it. Weiss' slow, steady heartbeat was also throwing her own out of synch. One and two and skip and three and four, it was almost like a hiccup or a sneeze, but Ruby could literally feel her heart stopping with each step she took.

Willing her eyes to open, Ruby squinted forward and saw she had taken her friends much farther than she anticipated. Her desire to give Yang and Blake some private time mixed in with her own gnawing feelings for Weiss had altered her perception of time and space, and now all she wanted to do was turn back and crawl into bed with Weiss.

" _Go back."_

Ruby turned on her heels ready to tell Yang she wasn't feeling well when her face landed square between the tall blonde's breasts.

"Hello there!" Yang chuckled when Ruby fell back.

"S-Sorry! I thought you were still behind me," Ruby stammered.

Blake chuckled at her ward in passing and clambered up a nearby tree to get the best view of what was about to happen. During the walk she and Yang had been talking about today's near-death experience with a wild cassowary and the resulting injuries she received trying to fend it off. Sadly the blonde didn't find it as humorous as she did and spent more time asking about the stranger in Ruby's bed than the crazy cat versus giant bird fight Blake clearly lost. Feeling uncharacteristically spiteful, Blake willingly withheld the information and allowed Yang to stew in her own morbid curiosity. But her true reason for biting back her tongue was entirely her own. She had her suspicions about Weiss the moment she met the Prince and it only took one look at Ruby's love-struck face to tell her that she had failed as a guardian.

For eleven long years, Blake proudly watched the lost child she found wandering alone in the forest grow into a strong, confident young woman with nothing to fear. She taught Ruby everything she knew about surviving in a world that didn't want her. And even after all that, seeing Ruby choose to forgive and make the most out of life made Blake consider the same. She had been shackled by her own hatred for so long that she forgot that not everyone was as cruel as the man who sold her into slavery. It took a bright little rose to make the beast remember and find her long lost compassion and humanity. But forever doesn't exist in paradise and the small bit of happiness she found all but shattered when she spotted the ship carrying the Prince of Atlas.

Blake had been blinded by greed and revenge when she called for Ruby to help. She wanted to see the nobleman bow down to her and plead for forgiveness as she stared down at him with her dirty boot on his head. She wanted him to feel the same humiliation his people made others of her kind suffer through on a daily basis. But Blake was a coward. As soon as she saw the white nevermore soaring through the sky, her drive left and just like that she was back to being that poor little girl eating a small portion of stale, frozen bread in the stables where she lived. It made her feel sick to her stomach now that she thought about it. She let Ruby go in without backup and a damaged weapon, and from her treetop view she saw the many close calls her student narrowly dodged thanks to the barbarians watching her back. And then Ruby met _him_ , the man slated to rule the Kingdom that enslaved her family.

All at once her courage came back and she joined in on the fight, hacking and slashing her way to Ruby. But she was too late. By the time she arrived, the girl she cherished more than anything in the world was already lost in the Prince's ocean blue eyes, and Blake was forced to realize she hadn't taught Ruby the one lesson that could save her life: don't ever fall in love.

Yang didn't like waiting. She was Yang Xiao Long, the girl that burned brighter than the sun, and no one made her wait. That is unless they wanted a firsthand demonstration of why she burned so bright. However, Ruby was special and so was Blake, so she waited and waited. But enough was enough and if she didn't get the turmoil roiling in her chest out, Yang feared she might burst into flame.

"This is far enough," she said pulling Ruby and Blake abruptly out of their thoughts and musings. "Talk to me, Rubes."

"Even I'm a little curious as to how you two ended up like that," Blake quipped from her tree branch perch. The feline Faunus was stretched out on the wooden limb, one arm pillowing her head while the other hung languidly over the side.

"Explain," Yang demanded slightly more insistent. She shot Blake a quick glare from the ground so the other woman knew she wasn't forgotten, but Blake just smiled at her like she had done nothing wrong. "Who was that and why were they in bed with you? Ruby, that seriously better not have been some village boy you found wandering in the forest!"

The words hit her hard and Ruby withered like a sun deprived seedling under the sheer volume the blonde spoke. It was the sort of volume one would expect from a town crier with the commanding authority of its tyrannical Governor. Wisps of fire sparked around Yang's hair as she continued her triage starting with the implications should anyone find her near the town. There wasn't a single moment between breaths that allowed Ruby to say her piece without getting stopped by more of Yang's uncontrolled yelling. This went on for several long minutes with the same poignant point repeating constantly.

Blake never liked interfering with human on human conflicts, even more so when nobility was involved. As a Faunus woman she felt it wasn't her place to intrude and kept it as a general rule of thumb to follow. Just like Yang's rule for waiting, the two humans bellow her were the only exception to her own. So when she noticed the tears forming in Ruby's eyes, the soft-spoken guardian in her decided that enough was enough and stepped in before Yang could accidentally set their jungle home on fire—again.

"Yang, stop!" Blake yelled, dropping down to the ground next to the blonde. She grabbed Yang by the shoulder and spun her around to face her so she stared deep into her eyes. "Stop," Blake cooed, "breath."

The soothing words worked like a mystical charm and freed the jolly noblewoman from her magic infused rage. Yang blinked away the red haze clouding her vision and lowered her clenched fist, forcing herself to unfurl her fingers before even she tried to speak.

"Blake, I—Ruby, I'm sorry…" Yang muttered, her eyes casting away from saddened silver. "My magic it made me… No, that's no excuse. I'm the one lost my cool and I'm the one that didn't give you the chance to explain. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, even I know how it must've looked," Ruby said with a weak reassuring smile.

Yang smiled graciously at Ruby, thanking her for the benefit of the doubt, and straightened herself to look somewhat presentable again. Yang was dressed like a wealthy adventurer with a sharp decorative sword strapped to her hip and a menacing golden gauntlet covering her left hand. Shin length boots and form fitting brown pants matched her clean beige tunic, the billowy fabric bound tight to her sides by a corset resembling Ruby's. And lastly, draped over Yang's right shoulder was a waist length hard leather cape and capelet. It hid Yang's missing right arm from sight with an impressive golden dragon embroidery, a small courtesy worn solely for Ruby's piece of mind.

After dusting some nonexistent dirt off of her cape, Yang reached behind her head and tugged on the deep red ribbon tied around her hair. She tugged on it twice and somehow managed to make it even tighter, pulling strands of her precious hair out by accident. Giving up before she tore even more out, Yang pointed to the infernal silk item that turned her pretty head into a golden horse's arse.

"Hey, Blake, help me out will ya?" she asked pleadingly.

"Sure," Blake hummed as she gave the ribbon a quick tug in the opposite direction.

The silk fabric quickly came undone and Yang vigorously shook her head, moaning in delight as her golden locks settled down across her back.

"Okay, back to business!" Yang exclaimed in a much cheerier tone. "But for real, I'm so sorry about going all tyrannical on you like that. Mom's been drilling me non-stop about Atlesian customs and other bullshit because their hoity-toity Prince-know-it-all is coming to Patch to see me."

Ruby held back a snicker and looked at Blake asking her wordlessly about who should tell Yang the big news. Blake returned her smile with a raised eyebrow and a smirk that told Ruby all she needed to know.

"He's already here," Blake said with a steadily growing grin. Yang mouth dropped open, her eyes as wider than dinner plates. "I saw his ship docked by the shallows."

"No, no, no, no!" Yang muttered to no one in particular. "If he's here then that means I need to get back to the castle!"

"I also meant he's here as in _here_ , on the farm," Blake clarified.

"What?" Yang's eye twitched.

Ruby blushed and said the first thing that popped in her head. "I might have slept with your future husband. Sorry."

"You mean that little shit in your bed was _the_ Prince of Atlas?" Yang asked through tightly gritted teeth. Ruby nodded, instantly regretting her poor choice if words. The temperature sharply rose around the blonde making the already sweltering jungle heat even more unbearable. "And you _let_ him violate you like some two-bit whore?!" Yang's anger bubbled over explosively as she pushed past Blake and threw her hand out, grabbing Ruby by the lapels and dragging her forward until their faces were mere inches apart. "Have you gone completely insane, Ruby?!"

"Yang, stop! It was just a joke!" Ruby shouted as she struggled fruitlessly against Yang's superior strength.

"A joke? Ruby, do I look like I'm joking here?!" Yang hissed, her violet eyes flashing red as her anger slowly took control of her. "Because I don't hear anyone laughing—and you, Blake! Don't think I've forgotten about you! You're supposed to be taking care of her!"

"Yang, Ruby would never do something so depraved!" Blake said her in ward's defense.

Ruby bit the inside of her cheek feeling guilty because she absolutely would have if Weiss asked.

Heat rolled off of Yang's body the same way the cold encapsulated Weiss. Blake couldn't stand it and wearily backed away from the searing blonde. Ruby was faring much better against her sister thanks to the icy bangle on her arm, but its cooling effects had its limits and Ruby sorely wished she had Weiss by her side.

"Do you have any idea how hard I'm working to get you out of here?!" Yang roared, her grip on Ruby's shirt tightening. "The stupid lessons I undergo everyday while you're out here living so carefree with Blake?"

"Stop, Yang, you're hurting me!" Ruby screamed in pain when her hand accidentally found purchase on Yang's super heated gauntlet. "Ahh!"

A sharp, high-pitched winding sound accompanied by thundering hooves heralded the formation of jagged blue ice sprouting from Ruby's magic bangle. The ice was unrefined and grew over itself clumsily in uneven layers like hard plated scales. Layers upon layers encased Ruby's arm in a protective armour. In the blink of an eye the murky ice completely covered Ruby's burnt hand with a thick lupin-esque clawed gauntlet that sizzled violently against Yang's. Steam quickly rose from the two opposing elements with the powerful ice gaining leverage over Yang's fire. It slowly stretched over the golden metal, shrinking back when it reached a hot spot before spreading over it quickly after it cooled.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled in a panic trying desperately to shake her sister's frozen hand off her gauntlet.

The cold was starting to seep through the chainmail and cotton padding, touching her bare skin with its icy tendrils. The ice was biting through Yang's inhuman heat and creeped through the tiny gaps of her armoured hand when Ruby snapped out of her shocked stupor. The redhead tugged with all her might but the ice didn't respond.

"Yang, I don't know what's happening!" Ruby exclaimed in a panic.

Myrtenaster charged in through the underbrush, galloping and roaring fiercely towards Yang. The sound of Ruby's terrified screaming only spurred the frantic warhorse to gallop faster. Blake could immediately see the madness in the frozen beast's eyes and tackled Yang and Ruby out of the way just in time. The force of the tackle broke the icy tendrils locking Ruby and Yang together giving both girls their mobility back. Thankfully the blonde's rage had tapered off from the surprise, weakening the highly aggressive magic she possessed down to a warm burning tingle.

Unable to stop his momentum, the heavily armoured warhorse charged straight through where the three young women had been, cutting through tree bark and vines indiscriminately as he swiftly doubled back when he didn't feel the blonde's mangled body trampled underfoot.

"W-What?" Yang asked, her eyes returning to their original violet colour.

The three women were sprawled on the ground in a messy pile unable to get up with Yang stuck below Blake and Ruby. Myrtenaster circled around them slowly, his cold, lifeless eyes trained solely on Yang. The undead stallion was waiting for the one armed woman to move not wanting to risk harming the one in red or the one in black by accident.

"Ugh…" Ruby slowly came to and shook her head to shake off the stars circling her vision. Her head ached something fierce while her arm felt like it weighed more than a whale. "What happened?"

"That crazy horse came out of nowhere!" Blake yelled, disentangling herself from Yang.

It took Ruby a second to fully register what Blake said, but when her eyes finally cleared she saw Myrtenaster tilt his head and twitch his ears in her direction. He waited for Ruby to respond patiently, the rage that fueled his hostility gone without a trace now that Ruby wasn't screaming.

"Wha?" Ruby mumbled still slightly disoriented. She glanced down at her right arm and flexed trying to discern its status.

The ice shifted easily alongside Ruby's muscles, acting as if it were merely an extension of herself and not a solid rock formation. Tentatively, Ruby raised her icy claws and curled her fingers inwards, twisting and flicking her wrist to see how much control she had. And to her surprise, Ruby found that she had full mobility despite how clunky and disproportionate the armoured arm was.

"I need to get back to Weiss," Ruby mumbled to her friends.

Blake helped Yang to her feet, making sure to keep herself between Yang and Myrtenaster just in case. The horse seemed to sense the animosity emanating from the two and moved passed them to get to Ruby. He nudged the redhead's forehead with his snout, blowing cold air all over her face as he breathed, and chattered his teeth. Ruby looked into his deep, empty blue eyes and slowly blinked.

"You were worried about me, huh, boy?" Ruby asked the horse with a tender smile. Myrtenaster reacted well to Ruby's soothing voice and nuzzled against her. "Can I get a lift? I already miss riding."

Myrtenaster nodded and offered her his side to climb on. Ruby looked at her large frozen arm trying to decide the best way to climb into the saddle without hurting her new friend. The horse picked up on her hesitation and licked the ice encasing Ruby's hand with a familiar fondness. She raised it up and touched Myrtenaster with it, the small heat she felt from the arm alone doubled immensely when it grazed Myrtenaster's fur.

"Wow…" Ruby mumbled in astonishment. "Is this how Weiss' hand feels?" Myrtenaster nodded, feeling the deep connection between his master and the girl in red.

"Ruby, you aren't planning on riding _that_ thing are you?" Yang asked falling back into her protective ways.

"And what if I am?" Ruby shot back as she gripped the saddle's horn with her flesh hand and the reigns with her frozen one.

"I won't allow it!" Yang yelled. "That thing is dangerous—it tried to kill me!"

Ruby mimicked the way Weiss mounted her horse almost flawlessly and sat high above Blake and Yang. She grinned at the furious blonde and smiled kindly at the proud Faunus looking up at her with a similar smile on her face.

"Ruby get down from there before you slip and break your neck!"

"You can't tell me what to do, Yang!" Ruby shouted back childishly as she trotted around in a small circle.

Blake rolled her eyes and grabbed Yang by the collar, dragging the future duchess away from the laughing horse and her stubborn apprentice. "She's fine, Yang." Blake tugged the collar in her fist hard when Yang struggled. "His Highness taught her how to ride him personally."

"What?!" Yang screamed.

"You know what I meant." Blake rolled her eyes and motioned for the mounted redhead to follow. "Let's head back before Ruby turns into an icicle."

"It's receded actually," Ruby said with a beaming smile. "I'm pretty sure I have some control over this thing." She was speaking about her magical arm but Blake figured she might as well have been talking about Myrtenaster. "Like, it feels really warm… like, when I touch Myuh-Myuh's neck he feels like the ones the farms let me play with."

"'Myuh-Myuh?'" Blake asked looking over her shoulder. Myrtenaster exhaled through his flared nostrils and glowered at Blake. "Right, Myuh-Myuh."

Yang was being strangely quiet even though Blake had essentially manhandled her. While she was fairly irked about that it was the way that Ruby, her biological little sister, had treated her. It had only been a week since she last saw the two exiled women but the chasm she desperately kept trying to bridge over was still growing. She had never seen Ruby act so… so mature before. The way she spoke back to Yang sounded like an impetuous sixteen-year-old going through a phase but Yang knew better. Ruby's shiny mercury coloured eyes held a strong stalwart conviction in them that frightened Yang. It was the same look her mother and father held while they were in a court session; the eyes of a ruler, something Yang never inherited.

Yang closed her eyes, taking in a deep relaxing breath. It was her lack of tempered self-control that forced her parents to offer her hand to the Prince of Atlas. The skinny little bastard only received his title due to the curse placed on his line and the pity of the former King. He had no right to rule a kingdom let alone marry someone of royal descent. She felt her skin crawl imaging the icy whelp taking her the way she imagined him taking Ruby. It was disgusting to think about even though she knew he and Ruby had done no such thing. The two were supposedly still innocent… for the time being.

"Hey, Blake?" Yang murmured quietly. "I think I'll head back home now… I don't think Ruby wants to talk to me anymore today."

"Alright, if you're sure." Blake nodded in understanding without a fight. "I'll escort you to the outskirts as per usual."

"Thanks…" Yang flashed her friend a weak grin that faltered when she heard Ruby's voice speaking to the horse. "She does know horses can't understand us, right?"

Blake wasn't so sure about that. She understood where Yang was coming from, but Myrtenaster was different from any beast of burden she'd seen before minus the obvious. As Ruby talked the horse seemed to animatedly agree or disagree, using his limited range to emote how he felt.

"Could you talk some sense into her later?" Yang was hesitant to ask Blake for such a large favour but she had no other choice. "I don't want her getting caught in anything political and I know that once the Prince is set to leave, she'll try and go with him or at least stowaway on his ship."

"I think it'd be a good thing if she followed. The Prince would probably allow it since he owes Ruby a debt." Blake cupped her chin between her forefinger and thumb. "I've even considered going with her to escape from Patch… there's so much more to the world and I want to see it."

"You're going to take my sister and leave me here then?" Yang asked feeling mildly betrayed. "I get married off to some boring old noble guy twice my age and you two get to go on an adventure? Thanks for thinking of me."

"Well, I never said you weren't welcome to runaway with us."

"Oh… I take it back then," Yang smiled softly. She had no intention of following through with it since it was her destiny to one day lead her people just as it was her father's. "So, uh, what's he like?"

"The Prince isn't anything like I imagined though," Blake confessed feeling rather perturbed. She hadn't spoken to him mother aside from the acerbic comments she threw in while he talked to Ruby, so she didn't know him as well as her pupil did but that still wouldn't be enough to stop her from despising him. "I hate him and his people for treat us Faunus like second-rate citizens or slaves… the segregated communities and the violence rampant through the streets still haunt me. But he spoke to me the same way he spoke to Ruby and... and it was _nice_. He was pleasant and offered Ruby a pure dust crystal as a reward for helping his men clear some Grimm."

"Ruby's naïveté aside, do you trust him?" Yang asked curiously.

Blake shook her head. "His kind are all liars. Barbarians through and through no matter how civilized the Prince might act."

"Then as soon as he wakes up take him to the castle," Yang instructed her friend. "We need to keep him away from Ruby at all costs."

"I agree."

* * *

 **We've got some bees here buzzing! If you aren't following me on Tumblr then you missed my message about this novel. The similarities to this story and the RWBY franchise are completely coincidental. I wrote it in high school during my classes, this was many years before RWBY aired in case anyone was curious. The only thing I've changed in this story are the place names, the characters and their names.**

 **Weiss' character and her design, was based primarily off of Sesshoumaru and an old OC comic I manga I created back in middle school. She still hailed from a Northern continent besotted by snow and freezing winds.**

 **Ruby's character is still largely the same down to her design, but the silver eyes thing has no meaning in this world.**

 **Yang's character was originally a redhead and the loss of her arm is a pivotal plot point later on when we explore more of the world I've created here.**

 **Blake's was interestingly enough still a cat-girl minus the human ears.**

 **That's all I'll reveal about the original book for now.**


	8. Chapter Seven: The Chill in Your Bones

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Seven**

 _ **The Chill in Your Bones**_

* * *

When Ruby and her group returned to the barn, they were greeted by the stoic Prince dressed in full armour standing beneath a small flurry. Ruby got down from Myrtenaster, angry that her injured patient was up and about while Weiss was busy looking at the majestic horse with wide eyes.

"What are you doing up?!" Ruby screamed, grabbing Weiss roughly by the fur to force her to look at her.

Weiss looked down at Ruby just as angrily but instead of yelling like she wanted to, she calmly asked, "How did you do it? How did you summon my horse from the ethers?"

"What?" Ruby asked releasing the Prince. "Summon? No, he's been here the whole time."

"You're lying," Weiss said. "I lost complete consciousness. My magic requires a direct mental link to stay in the physical realm."

"Yeah, well, maybe you weren't as out cold as you thought then? Because Myrtenaster and that freaky ice patch you put on my arm are still here—we need to have a word about that, by the way." Ruby took a step back, shivering from the light snow cascading down around her. "It did this weird thing and… well, look."

When Ruby showed Weiss her frozen arm, the shrinking ice rescinded to a thin layer sitting atop her skin, almost like it was cowering in fear. Weiss held Ruby's hand between her gloved ones, brushing it carefully with her cursed fingers as she beckoned the stray magic to return to her. The ice refused its master's call and pulled away, slinking back into the bangle around Ruby's wound.

"I… I don't understand," Weiss murmured quietly to Ruby who was too lost in the Prince's careful touch to notice.

"Whoa there, lover boy! Back up," Yang shouted as she yanked Ruby up and away from Weiss by the scruff of her shirt.

"Yang! Let me go, let me go!" Ruby complained, thrashing her arms and legs.

The tall woman ignored the struggling teen in her hand and asked, "So you're the Prince of Atlas, eh? Welcome to my little Patch of heaven. Ain't it swell?"

The noble looked at Yang curiously and hesitantly nodded. She recognized the blonde almost immediately but didn't say, she was more concerned about Ruby to care that the Duke's daughter was directly speaking to her.

"Well, aren't you going to say something to me?" Yang pressed, a little angrily at the clear disrespect.

Weiss looked between a pleading Ruby and the red eyed blonde. "Unhand my friend," she said warningly, her hand resting on the hilt of her ornate sword.

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped.

"If you want a fight, you've got one!" Yang replied with a grin as she tossed Ruby behind her like a rag. "I've always wanted to go toe-to-toe with one of you barbarians!"

Weiss narrowed her gaze at Yang, Ruby's worried expression kept in her periphery. "A one armed socialite dares to challenge me? Hah, you've got to be daft, _girl_."

Fire engulfed Yang's gauntlet. The enchantments protecting it from the heat struggled to hold. Yang tightly clenched her fist, the fire in her palm seeping through the cracks and creases. Red hot liquid bled to the ground, dripping slowly at first before steadily pouring out and forming a sizzling whip.

"Let's see you try to stay cool then!" Yang exclaimed cracking the whip at Weiss' feet.

The Prince stared at the scorched ground before her impassively, her cold expression giving little to nothing away. She lifted her heavy boot and crushed the embers underneath it.

"C'mon Ice King, you want me to hand my sister over to you right? So fight me!"

Weiss eased her stance and crossed her arms. "I'm not fighting you," she said with a scoff.

"What, you chicken?" Yang asked cracking the whip again, this time the lash licked the Prince on the cheek. "Ooh, tough guy; you didn't even flinch!"

"I will not raise my blade against you," Weiss said turning her back to leave Yang and the others behind. Myrtenaster trotted to her side and nipped at the furs covering Weiss' shoulders as if he were trying to tell Weiss to stop. "Wha—hey! Stop that!"

When Weiss turned her back to Yang, the blonde saw red. She raised her whip and sent it flying towards the distracted Prince, aiming for the hand petting the horse. The whip looped around Weiss' right hand, the intense heat searing the bone and leather her gauntlet was made from. The hissing noise spooked the war horse sending it barreling through the trees in a blind panic.

Weiss sighed and shook her head, her patience was wearing thin.

"Got you now!" Yang cackled, her eyes still red with bloodlust. But once again Weiss failed to react accordingly. Having enough of the blonde's shenanigans, the Prince looked at the fiery coil and grabbed it. "What?!"

Ice began replacing the magical fire, eating away at it until Yang was forced to tear her half away and break the connection. Weiss smirked at the fuming blonde and her flaming cowlick. It was clear to her that the future Duchess had no formal training judging by the unrefined way she controlled her magic.

"I will not fight you," Weiss repeated. "You are Ruby's friend."

"Friend?!" Yang roared. "I'm her sister!"

"No, she's not!" Ruby screamed, stunning everyone in the vicinity.

Ruby snapped her attention away from Yang and focused it all on the surprised Prince, her heart still telling her to return to Weiss' side. She pulled herself free from Blake and rushed to the future King, ignoring all the angry shouts coming from Yang.

"Weiss, are you alright?" Ruby asked, her hand hovering nervously near the red welt on Weiss' cheek.

"Sister? What does she mean by that?" the Prince asked curiously.

Ruby shook her head, touching the icy hand Weiss hid under her gloves. "It's nothing. Yang's just being silly."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not standing right behind you!" Yang hollered.

The golden dragon over Yang's cape began to glow, pulsing with magic. Yang felt her focus narrowing the brighter her dragon burned and with it came control. Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She held it in her lungs for five seconds before exhaling orally. The noblewoman repeated this four more times and reopened her eyes on the final release.

"You have some serious nerve, outsider!" Smoke was steadily rising up through the gaps between Yang's bared teeth. "Get away from Ruby before I really get serious."

"You need to calm down, Yang!" Ruby demanded as she shuddered under Weiss' flurry. She looked at the melting Faunus behind her sister and offered her sincerest apology.

Blake wasn't blind. She knew Ruby made the smart choice in the literal heat of the moment. But Yang was her friend and she needed her support, so Blake stayed resolute and watched the snow falling over Ruby enviously. It was getting nigh unbearable though.

Blake was standing downwind of the walking inferno, getting a good taste of what it felt like to cross the hellish Vacuo desert. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper, always scratching and irritating her whenever she blinked. Her eyes were so dry she had to question whether or not she actually did blink. It was a toss up between split second eclipses that only darkened her vision or Yang's magic had finally managed to fry her tear ducts.

"Get. Away. From. My sister!" Yang seethed, the smoke escaping her mouth darkening as her fires burned brighter.

Weiss narrowed her eyes looking past Yang. Poor Blake was sweating profusely, her eyes bleary as she swayed on her feet. "You're careless," Weiss pointed out as she conjured a large snowball and tossed it at Blake. But the heat surrounding the two young women was like an impenetrable wall. Though to her credit, Weiss didn't look the least bit surprised or deterred, just mildly annoyed.

Yang smirked, "Oh no, a snowball, how scary!"

"Yang, stop it," Blake pleaded, but the blonde paid her no mind.

"Are you going to throw another one?" Yang jeered.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Weiss asked, clicking her tongue disappointedly. "Tell me, do you know what steam is?"

Huffing, Yang scrunched her nose, "Uh, doy?"

Yang held her hand out, focusing on her palm, trying to force her unpredictable magic to take shape. Her brows creased together in focus, sweat building on her brow as the force welled within her. It begged and screamed to be freed, to be unleashed unto the world without burden. Yang struggled to breathe but kept it hidden.

"Well?" the cloaked royal prodded with a perfect brow raised in question. "I'm waiting."

Weiss shook her bangs, the hair effortlessly falling over her eyes, and pushed them back to the top of her head using her right hand. The white tufts of hair held firm with the aid of her ice and snow, the tips curling upwards like a crown of thorns.

The Prince's face was free of all obstruction, save for a lock of hair above her right eyebrow that curled to the left. Weiss' features sharped dramatically without her downy bangs covering half her striking blue eyes. The difference was like comparing a soft rolling snow hill to a solid glacier, the distinction between the two a glaring offset.

Yang gritted her teeth, the flame in her hand flickering to life as Weiss' cool composure pushed her to the edge.

"Evaporated water," Yang stated practically spitting venom at the cocky Prince. "Look, I'm not stupid, hot stuff. I may not look it, but I hit the books pretty hard."

"With your fist or with that enormous forehead of yours?" Weiss asked the blonde, her infallible smirk taunting the bull to charge.

"Eat shit!" Yang screamed, throwing the beginnings of a fireball at Weiss and Ruby.

Weiss draped her arm and cloak around Ruby's smaller frame, using her larger body to shield the redhead. The fire hit and spread across Weiss' back, the kinetic force behind the spell pushing her closer to Ruby. When it dissipated, the black fur over top Weiss' red cloak was singed. A vile odor like no other wafted in the air, carried on by the smoke rising from the smoldering follicles.

Blake's Faunus ears folded back as she clamped her sensitive nose shut with both hands. "Oh god, what is that?!"

Weiss looked over her shoulder, loosening her hold around Ruby, and said, "That, my feline friend, is what Atlesian Grimm smell like. Putrid isn't it? I'd tell you to light a match, but the future Duchess here seems to have that covered."

Yang's hair glowed brighter and hotter at the jibe.

Ruby poked her head out from under Weiss' cloak and tentatively sniffed the air. She was much closer to the origin of the stench than Blake, and without the cleansing screen of smoke Yang produced, the nauseating smell was much more potent.

Ruby instantly regretted her decision and mimicked her distraught mentor. "Ew! It smells like rotten eggs and farts," Ruby cried, her voice tight and nasally like Blake's. "Oh god, it's in my mouth! It's in my mouth!"

"This stench permeates the slums of my kingdom," Weiss added, her voice cold and calculating though mildly amused. "It wards off most threats. Grimm, wild animals, politicians, take your pick.

"Crackpot medicine men living in the slums like to use it for 'healing' rituals and incantations, but if you breathe it in long enough you'll start to hallucinate. Not pleasant, I can assure you of that."

"That's all well and dandy, but who gives a shit?" Yang barked, readying another fireball. "Slums, man? Really? How fucked up is your kingdom?"

"I'd choose your next set of words carefully if I were you," Weiss growled, her calm expression morphing into one of restrained anger.

Yang played with the fire in her palm like a ball, up and down, up and down. The nonchalance she displayed was starting to get under Weiss' skin and she knew that, so she grinned and kept going.

"Patch is small but we're prosperous," Yang said proudly. "Everyone's doing something to contribute to the community. By the way, how's the slave trade going?"

"Freeze!"

Weiss swiftly turned around on her heel with a flourish of her cape and threw her hand out, letting loose a frigid gale that flew past the tree line. The steam that lingered harmlessly around Yang and Blake froze instantly. Like little crystalline spores, the ice lingered, suspended in place by age old magic.

"W-What?" Yang shuddered, her breath misting and freezing as she exhaled.

"You need to cool your head, _hot stuff_ ," Weiss sneered. "You speak as if you know my home well, but what do you truly understand, you impudent girl? You, who lives in luxury without want or need, speak highly of Patch, yet you allow your friends to live like this.

"Atlas is nothing like Patch with its tropical climate and abundance. Food is scarce up north. If you do not work, you starve. And if you cannot fight, you die. Maybe we are barbarians for letting the divide between classes grow to this point, but that doesn't mean some upstart whelp hiding under Daddy's cloak can get away with saying such things to the crown Prince himself.

"Take heed, Yang Xiao Long, when it is your time to rule, the bright world you see now will no longer be the same. And the hardships my people endure will be a blessing in comparison to the shadows lurking beneath your shores."

Weiss took a calming breath and dealt the final blow to Yang's bruised ego with a snap.

The wind suddenly picked up, pushing the pellets to swarm around Yang in a violent white maelstrom. Yang frantically swatted her hand in front of her face trying to keep the droplets out of her eyes. It was like being caught in the eye of a tornado with dust and dirt whipping around her as the wind churned.

Ice quickly formed at the soles of Yang's boots, crawling rapidly upwards until the fire caster's body was covered up to her neck. She thrashed in her crystal prison summoning all the magic she had in her body to melt the ice, but it stayed perfect, just like Weiss' control over winter.

Yang called her magic to her throat, the energy glowing through her skin. Yang's eyes shifted into a darker murderous red colour as she exhaled a wave of fire down her body. Weiss smirked at the struggling blonde, her brow creasing a touch when she felt a bead of water drip down her masterpiece.

"Argh! Let me out of here!" Yang screamed after the fire ebbed.

"No, not until you calm yourself down!" Weiss demanded, her outstretched hand curling the tips of its fingers inward. The ice responded to its Prince and contracted, hardening its frigid surface.

"What if I don't want to calm down?!" Yang spat immaturely. "Are you going to keep me here forever?"

"No, just long enough to deliver you personally to your displeased father," Weiss responded trying to sound like she didn't just say "I'm going to tell on you".

"You wouldn't dare!"

Weiss smirked, lording over the blonde like a schoolyard bully. "Are you willing to find out?"

"Grr… you bastard," Yang grumbled, her eyes returning to normal.

Blake couldn't condone the Prince's juvenile squabble with her friend, but she was still eternally grateful that the stifling heat was gone. Forget the shadows lurking near the shores destroying Patch, Yang's big mouth could probably manage it on its own.

"H-Ha… hachuu!" Ruby violently sneezed, shattering the tension before it could escalate any higher. "Ughh…" A long trail of mucus joined her to Weiss' arm, the viscous thread sagging until it snapped in the middle. "Oh no."

Weiss' flurry abruptly stopped, her furious blue eyes locking onto Ruby's terrified silver. Yang and Blake watched the scene unfold, both extremely curious and alert to all of Weiss' movements.

"Uh…" Ruby looked up at Weiss, her shoulders inching closer to her ears as she shrank in on herself. "I am so, so, so, so sorry! Please don't behead me!"

The furious Prince beared down on the young girl using her above average height and Ruby's weak knees to impose dominance over her. To Weiss, Ruby looked like a cowering rabbit trapped by starving predator. Images of her childhood spent in the same position as Ruby flashed before Weiss, reminding her of a time when she had no one to turn to.

Ruby's wide silver eyes were glossy with unshed tears. Her irises jittered in place, subtly darting about erratically as she stared at her own horrified reflection in Weiss' gleaming eyes. Ruby's mouth was slightly agape with an evident tremble shaking her chapped lips.

"Are you cold?" Weiss asked, her voice low and carrying, bereft of any anger or malice. The fury she felt coursing through her icy veins vanished the moment she saw herself in Ruby's eyes. "I'm sorry, you should have said something."

Nervously, Ruby nodded her head. "Y-Yeah… I'm not uses to being this c-cold."

"I'm sorry," Weiss apologized again, her gaze low and shameful, thinking of the man she was groomed to follow in. "The heat was getting to me when I awoke."

"It gets cooler at night, even colder if it rains," Ruby explained feeling less frightened. "I-It's just we're midday—well, I guess a little past it since the sun isn't so high up anymore."

Weiss waved her frozen hand above her head, dispersing the magical cloud she created. The temperature around the barn steadily rose and the ice encasing Yang slowly flaked off, crashing to the ground in chucks that shattered like glass. But the air was refreshing and cool, crisp like the misted air around a natural waterfall spring.

"What?" Yang blinked. "Can someone please explain to me why Prince Stick-Up-His-Ass didn't ice Ruby?"

Ruby blushed and stepped away from the handsome Prince, her hands folded behind her back bashfully. The mucous that joined them together stretches and sagged down until it snapped. Weiss flicked the disgusting thread off her arm like she would water, but it refused to budge. She curiously looked to Ruby's shoulder, decided "to hell with it", and used it to wipe herself clean. Ruby didn't care that Weiss had just used her as a handkerchief; she did the same thing only using her sleeve instead.

"Ew," Blake mumbled. She and Yang were as close as two girls could be without it becoming romantic, but she'd rather die of pneumonia before she even considered doing the same to Yang.

"Yeah, I second you on that one, Blakey. Ew," Yang muttered in disgust.

"Okay, now that we're all chill and calm, let's start things over!" Ruby cheered. She gestured at Weiss and said, "Allow me to formally introduce you to Weiss, the Prince of Atlas, and my new b.f.f!

"Weiss is a bit scary, yeah, not gunna lie there. But she's not so bad once you get to know her." The words had slipped out before Ruby even knew what she was saying. The Prince in question looked at Ruby incredulously, her mouth hanging wide open.

Yang snorted obnoxiously. "Wow, way to diss the guy!" she exclaimed, howling in laughter. "You've avenge my death, thanks."

"Though, now that you mentioned it, he does look rather feminine," Blake added, chipping in her own thoughts. "His hair's better kept than yours, Yang."

"Now hold it right there, bitch. No need to go that far," Yang said scowling at her best friend. "My hair is the fairest in all the land!"

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "According to who?"

"Me! According to me, that's who!" Yang spat. She would have proudly gestured to herself if she wasn't busy trying to break her legs out. "Don't make me bring my daddy into this. Wait, that's brilliant! We can make it a law or something to worship my hair or turn it into a national treasure like me!"

Weiss and Ruby stared at the bickering duo taking turns roasting the Prince, each girlish insult worse than the last. They exchanged a look expressing concern but didn't say anything in fear of another argument.

Ending the long chain of scorn, Blake wearily sighed. "The duchy doesn't need anymore useless laws, Yang."

"Hey, my hair is always a _duchy_ subject!"

"Ugh, you are such a royal pain—"

"Pfft!"

All eyes were immediately on Weiss.

"Hn?" the Prince blinked.

"Yang's a royal pain in the ass," Blake finished her sentence sternly, her eyes sharp and scrutinizing, but Weiss' face stayed impassive.

"Was that supposed to make me laugh?" Weiss asked tilting her head.

"Don't tell me…" Blake palmed her face. "Please don't tell me you actually found Yang funny."

"I didn't?" Weiss said narrowing her eyes at Blake with uncertainty.

"It was me!" Ruby shouted guiltily. "It was me! I laughed—it was funny!"

"How is the addition of another useless law funny?" Blake asked spitefully.

Ruby yelped and hid behind Weiss, her head poking out just far enough for her to see Blake's upset expression. "But she said duchy instead of touchy…"

"That was rather impressive for word play," Weiss admitted with a lofty chuckle.

Yang kicked the last bits of ice off her boots and stretched her stiff body, relishing the freedom to move. "Thanks for the compliment, but you're still not in my good graces," she said shooting Weiss quick a glare. The Prince tightened her jaw leading Yang to ask, "Hey, uh, I know we were just fighting and all, but Ruby said on the way back that you were hurt pretty badly. Why are you up?"

"Oh… um," Weiss blushed. "I… I was looking for Ruby."

"Why?"

"She's to guide me to the Duke's castle," the Prince explained. "I only have a couple of weeks to find what I'm searching for, any later than that and my crew and I risk sailing into frozen waters."

"Right… well, I'm heading there so why don't I take you?" Yang offered. "I promise I won't fry you alive when you aren't looking."

Weiss looked at Yang suspiciously.

"You should go with her, Weiss!" Ruby suggested. "Who better to take you there than the person living in it."

"But we agreed you'd take me," Weiss countered. "It's unbecoming of royalty to go back on a promise, especially after everything you've done for me."

"It really was nothing though," Ruby said modestly. "But, um, you're hurt, like, _really_ bad and the castle is practically on the other side of the island from here."

"What are you suggesting then?"

Blake stepped up and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, her eyes locked on Weiss. "I suggest you go back to your ship and sail to the other coast."

"Blake, you did hear me say Weiss was hurt, right?" Ruby glowered.

"I heard you, but the Prince looks well enough to me."

Ruby pried Blake's hand off her shoulder and stood by Weiss' side, facing her mentor with a stiff upper lip. "He has a hole the size of my fist in his back!"

"Then how is his highness able to walk if he's in such great pain?" Blake asked pointedly.

"I…" Ruby looked up to Weiss and tugged her cape. "Say something!"

"What do you want me to say?" she asked back. "It's quite clear your friends do not like my presence around you."

"My barn, my rules," Ruby said stomping her foot. "You're in no condition to be wandering in the rainforest! You'd risk infection before you even get halfway through."

"I've sealed the wound with ice," Weiss said trying to appease her friend's worry.

"You're staying here and resting—and get rid of the ice! You need proper blood flow to heal!"

"Ruby, I really think I should take the Prince to the castle," Yang said approaching the two. "Dad's waiting for him and we can offer better medical care in the castle."

"No!" Weiss and Ruby shouted in unison.

"Yikes, just a suggestion," Yang said holding her hand up in defence.

"Weiss is staying here with me, and I won't hear anything else about it." Ruby looked to Blake then to Yang, waiting for any words of rebuttal. When none came, she nodded her head and said, "It's all settled then. Weiss, get your ass back in that bed and rest!"

"You dare order a Prince?" Weiss sneered, her scowl quickly upending.

Ruby shot her a playful glare and said, "Prince? What Prince? I don't see a Prince here, just a stubborn twit who doesn't want to get better."

"Fine, fine, you win," Weiss chuckled, accepting defeat. "But when you have time there's a favour I need to ask of you since you've forbidden me from leaving."

"Okay, I'll meet you inside later. I need to have a word with my _sister_ and _Blake_ ," Ruby said stressing the other girls' names.

Weiss gracefully bowed and left the three friends to do as they will. Ruby kept her eyes on the Prince's retreating form, waiting until she entered the barn to turn and face the meddlesome duo.

"Alright you two, what's going on?" Ruby asked, a deep frown etched on her lips.

"Dunno what you mean, sis!" Yang beamed innocently.

Shaking her head, Ruby tries again. "Why are you guys trying to keep Weiss away from me?"

"Other than the obvious fact he's out to corrupt you, no reason." Yang held her hand to her hip and said, "He's bad news, Ruby."

"You feel the same way, Blake?" Ruby asked, turning the question to her stoic mentor.

Blake nodded. "He's up to something, I just know it."

"Did it seriously never occur to you guys that maybe Weiss is just, oh, I don't know, trying to be nice?" Ruby grumbled. "He's having a hard time as it is without you goons harassing him."

"Did you see the way he was looking at you though?" Yang pointed out unhappily.

"Yeah, I'm not blind!" Ruby shouted.

"Then you know what he really wants?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, a friend."

"Not the way I see it," Yang muttered.

"Well you should look again, because friendship is all that he wants."

"Ruby, do you know something about the Prince that you aren't telling us?" Blake asked crossing her arms.

"I'm not telling you guys anything," Ruby snarled. "Weiss has been an absolute gentleman, and I'd really like it if you guys could get along."

"That bastard has my people enslaved!"

"Was Weiss the one that dragged your family out of your home? No. Was Weiss the one that sold you off like cattle? No," Ruby seethed. "You're blaming these crimes on someone you don't even know! If we follow your logic, Weiss might as well be the reason we're both orphans."

"Ruby," Yang mumbled, unsure of what to do. "Blake? Hey, we should—"

"He is the Prince of Atlas! As the future ruler he has a responsibility to the people—"

"What's a Prince supposed to do, Blake? He isn't the King yet, his word alone isn't strong enough to change things… not yet at least."

"I… Ruby, it is still his responsibility." Blake gritted her teeth, the girl standing before her didn't know anything.

"You've got that look on your face that says: 'Ruby's just a stupid kid, she doesn't understand my angst. Waah, waah, waah'," Ruby said, poorly mimicking Blake's troubled expression. "Look here, Blake, I get it. I really do. You've seen shit I can only imagine, but that doesn't mean you can get away with blaming everything on someone else. But you wanna know who you _can_ blame?

"Blame the assholes who willingly choose to harm others for the sake of greed. Blame the slave owners, sellers, and anyone profiting off of another's suffering. You can point your hatred and anger to any one of those people and I'll join you. But when you direct it at someone whose only crime is being next-in-line to the throne, you can count me out."

"And you call me blind… Ruby, you're in so much denial," Blake said chuckling grimly to herself. "When your precious Prince decides he's through with you and leaves you for dead, don't come crawling after me."

"Blake?" Yang reached out but Blake wasn't listening.

"You'll be sorry you sided with the Barbarians," Blake tore her gaze away from her former student and walked away. "One last warning for posterity's sake," she stopped and looked over her shoulder, "even the most docile of animals have _fangs_. Don't wake the beast with your new friend, Ruby."

Blake's gaze lingered on Ruby's distraught face feeling a twinge of regret in her heart, but she swallowed it down and left before her resolve could break.

"Beast? What beast? Blake, you make no sense!" Ruby screamed in frustration, but Blake was already gone. Red with anger and no one to point it at, Ruby stomped towards her barn to vent her frustrations to the only sensible person she knew.

With Ruby gone, Yang stood alone and confused. Her sister and her best friend had officially gone their separate ways—over a man no less. Yang was used to seeing squabbles like this whenever she was invited to an event. Girls fighting over boys, but never the other way around since men were like bees and women their flowers. Animals, all of them animals.

Her first instinct was to check on Ruby, but the young girl's trust in the Prince made her hesitate. She was initially weary of Weiss because her mother insisted he was sailing all the way to Patch just so he could personally ask for her hand in marriage. But Weiss surprised her when he brushed her aside in favour of Ruby's company, and for what? Friendship? Friends do not look at each other the way Ruby and Weiss did. Those stares were filled with longing and happiness, it was as clear as rain to Yang. And as much as it pained her to admit it, she was wrong to try and get in the way of that.

"Take care of my little sister, your highness," Yang said with a sad smile as she made up her mind.

Yang took a tentative step towards her way home. She knew this was the only thing she could do since Blake was almost impossible to find in the rainforest. The chances of her finding her skittish companion was lower than the chances of her getting bitten by a snake.

The familiar clip-clop of a horse's hooves drew Yang's attention. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't see Myrtenaster approach.

"Here for round two?" Yang asked tiredly. The horse snorted at her and presented its side the same way it offered Ruby. "What are you up to?"

The horse stamped an angry hoof and cantered around Yang. He stopped in front of her and nipped her sleeve, tugging it towards himself.

"Hey! Stop that, you stupid horse!" Yang yelled as she struggled to free herself, but Myrtenaster was having none of it. "What do you want? God damn, you're one needy son of a bitch… wait, are… are you offering to take me home?"

Myrtenaster's eyes lit up and nodded his head. He brought his snout close to Yang's face and sniffed her, jostling her golden locks with every misted breath he took.

"So you're not trying to kill me anymore?" Myrtenaster looked away, feigning an innocent whinny. "What?! Are you—y'know what? Let's fucking do this, show me what you got."

Yang grabbed the reigns and the saddle and expertly mounted the war horse's back. She hadn't ridden a horse since the accident that took her right arm, but she was glad her body remembered how to ride.

The view from the giant horse's back was amazing, but that large tree branch they were closing in on did not. Yang ducked her head just in time to avoid losing it. Myrtenaster laughed at her and picked up speed without Yang's prompt. He galloped through the small thicket surrounding Ruby's barn, ignoring the foliage around him completely. Yang kept her body low to avoid any wayward obstacles; she was starting to look like Blake's leafy camouflage tarp with all the sticks and twigs lodged in her hair.

The sky was a beautiful pastel orange by the time they broke through the treeline and entered the rolling green plains. Yang's castle could be seen in the far distance as a tiny black spec.

"Is this as fast as you can go, slowpoke?" Yang asked her new friend. "My grandma can run faster than you!"

Myrtenaster roared at the challenge and unleashed its full speed. Being a creature of the ether meant he felt no hunger or exhaustion, and the power he once had as a living horse was now tripled.

"Too fast! Too faaaaaaaaaaast!"

* * *

 **Yang's visits are always in credibly short since the only way for her to reach Ruby is if she takes a stagecoach to from the castle to the town facing Vale. From there she cuts through the forest using the secret trail her, Ruby, and Blake made over the years. Once she gets to the barn she has two to three hours to spend with Ruby before she needs to head back. Rinse and repeat.**

 **Riding Myrtenaster is a straight A to B route, whereas the stagecoach goes through the entire alphabet just to get her halfway home.**

 **We won't be seeing Blake for awhile.**


	9. Chapter Eight: Rime and Rhythm

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Eight**

 _ **Rime and Rhythm**_

* * *

Weiss was busy undoing the buckles fastening her body armour together when Ruby stormed into the barn, grumbling angry expletives and curses.

"What's wrong?" the Prince asked as she sat the pieces down on the floor. "Ruby?"

Ruby didn't acknowledge the question and kept her head respectfully bowed, her eyes charily avoiding Weiss' questioning gaze. Right away Weiss noticed something was off with her new friend and wasted no time pointing it out. She strode up to the redhead with an evident limp, favouring her uninjured side heavily.

"Ruby?" Weiss called out again gently, urging her to look her way.

The fuming young woman tentatively looked up. Weiss smiled at her, intuitively turning around to show Ruby her de-iced back. She was relieved to see the ice freezing the wound beneath it gone, but the blood seeping through the white bandages and the dark, discoloured bruise across Weiss' back was another concern for her. Ruby figured it had been from the scuffle with Yang that caused it, something she'd need to bring up later that night when they were both more relaxed. With a mumbled word of thanks and a faint blush, Ruby set her eyes forward and carefully examined Weiss' firm physique. She gave the bandages wrapped around the Prince's chest and stomach a quick once over to make sure they didn't need immediate replacing. Once she was satisfied with her purely medical assessment, Ruby turned her attention to Weiss' right hand. The last time she saw it, the enchanted ice was only halfway up Weiss' forearm, but now it stopped just shy of her elbow.

Alarmed, Ruby exclaimed the Prince's name, her eyes darting from the frozen limb to Weiss' distraught gaze.

"Magic comes with a price," the Prince informed her calmly as she turned back to face Ruby. "But let's talk about that later, I'm more concerned about you."

"What for?" Ruby said feeling her friend's predicament more pressing.

"Well, for starters, your 'sister' attacked me for no good reason," Weiss continued, sounding decidedly angry this time around. "Ruby, I think it's time you were forthright with me."

"You'd rather talk about that than the ice slowly eating your body?"

"I've lived with this for over two decades, it's really not that bothersome," Weiss said, an obvious lie. "But attacking a visiting dignitary, now that's worrying. Just give it some thought. Answer this for me and I'll do the same."

"Promise?"

Weiss smiled. "You have my word."

Ruby gave the simple request some serious thought, weighing her options carefully in her head before she answered. Though truth be told, the response was so obvious to her she wondered why she even bothered mulling over it. The blue eyed Prince had trusted her with her secrets, so it was only fair she return the courtesy in kind.

"Do you want some water?" Ruby asked quietly, her eyes silently begging Weiss to say yes.

"I'd love some actually," the Prince said looking grateful.

"Just a moment then."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ruby quickly fetched and filled the two glasses sitting on her table, frowning internally when a bead of room temperature water dribbled down her hand and onto the floor. Water was a precious resource that she couldn't afford to waste. One would think that drinking water was plentiful here since it was so lush. But despite the name and the healthy green foliage, it ironically didn't rain much in this particular rainforest—though it was unbearably humid; that never changed.

After quickly mourning for the drop of water, Ruby placed the cups on her table where she waited for Weiss to join her. She took her seat across Ruby gracefully, but before the redhead could take a sip, Weiss donned a suspiciously cocky mask as she touched the base of Ruby's glass with an icy digit. A thin layer of frost began to crackle and spread evenly upwards to the rim before quickly melting away from the bottom up when Weiss retracted her hand.

"You did say I could fix it with my _neat_ ice magic." The excited look on Ruby's face further fueled the pride in Weiss' chest. Chilling her own cup and raising it up in toast, Weiss said, "Nothing quenches a parched throat in this heat quite like ice cold water."

Clinking their glasses carefully to avoid spilling, Ruby took the time to really look at Weiss. The Prince's skin was still pale and sickly with little beads of sweat forming on her brow. Ruby wasn't sure whether it was the heat or a fever, but Weiss' cheeks were flushed with a rosy colour that didn't match her stoic expression. Though the biggest change had been in the Prince's eyes. They were much clearer now that she had some rest with a spark of vitality shining through that was missing a couple hours prior.

Weiss was seated uncomfortably, her back ramrod straight and an inch away from the back rest. She was watching Ruby curiously as the redhead brought the cup to her lips. The attention was discerning but not unwelcomed.

"Oh wow, you're right. That is refreshing!" Ruby said after her first satisfied gulp. "Please don't ever leave me. I can't go back to room temperature water."

Weiss chuckled and drank. "I'm glad I could be of service. Leaving you on the other hand, well, that remains to be seen. Though now that we're both fully hydrated, will you please tell me what is going on around here? Because I am severely confused."

Ruby settled the glass on the table, her antsy fingers playing with the cool condensation lining the old cup. "Where do you want to begin?" she asked, her demure eyes staring directly into Weiss' emboldened ones.

"For starters, I'd appreciate it if you told me about your relation to the Duke's daughter."

"Getting right to it, huh? Haha, should've expected it really." Kneading her hands together, Ruby reluctantly confessed, "She's my sister."

Weiss quirked her scarred brow, her interest fully piqued. "Go on," she pushed encouragingly.

"Life is just so much easier to deal with denying the fact that I'm the Duke's bastard," Ruby explained cynically, her heart reaching out to Weiss for comfort. "I actually lived in the castle with Yang till I was about five. Back then I thought I was just another one of the orphans the family was grooming into servitude. But Yang and, I guess I should say my father, felt wrong about it. They gave me special treatment and the other kids didn't like that, so I was always alone. But hey, I'm not one to complain. I mean, I had my own room in the castle! Do you know how big that is to a kid who has nothing? It was small and kind of smelled like old rotten cheese, but at least I had my own private room while the others had to share one. My meals were also taken directly from the Duke's dining table—and I don't mean the gross leftover scraps. I ate as well as Yang did. She even brought me my meals and sometimes, and when the Duchess was in one of her moods, Yang would bring her meal down too so we could eat together.

"I didn't think much of it at first. I figured Yang just liked me, y'know? And since I was her friend I thought she did something because I never had to do chores around the castle or toil away in the field. But being Yang's friend didn't explain the Duke.

"Y'see, the Duke constantly went out of his way for me—like a father would for his daughter. I hadn't connected the dots yet, or maybe I did and just chose to ignore it. But anyway, the Duke, he'd hug me and pet my head when I did something good and he'd scold me if I did something bad. I was also getting an education alongside Yang, which I guess is what finally broke the camel's back… or in this case, his wife's patience.

"One day while Yang and I were playing in the garden, the Duchess came to us with two soldiers following her. One of them grabbed me while the other _gently_ restrained Yang… she struggled against the soldier but she was only seven, what could she do? The Duchess had me tied up then we rode out into the rainforest where they left me here to die. Blake found me a day after and here we are eleven years later."

"Did the Duke do nothing at all to dissuade the Duchess?" Weiss asked furiously, her hands balled tightly into fists. Ruby shrugged her shoulders and sipped on her water with a downcast gaze. "Why would Duke Xiao Long allow this to happen?"

"Yang says he did try to get me back, but I think it's a good thing he never did; it's better this way," Ruby explained sombrely. "I actually wish Yang forgot about me completely…"

"Why?"

"Her mother found out she was looking for me a couple years ago… so as punishment for venturing into the rainforest, Yang got a hundred lashings." Ruby rubbed her eyes trying to stave off the tears threatening to fall. "She still has the scars."

"I see," Weiss mulled the information over quietly, her opinion of the Duchess as well as the air around her dropping to subhuman standards. "Ruby, forgive me if I'm overstepping, but would you like me to speak to them on your behalf? Maybe get you back into the castle or at least a better housing situation?"

Ruby smiled at the caring Prince, her face tingling with a blush as she played with the idea of a raving mad Weiss putting Raven in her place.

"I see you smiling," Weiss said looking hopeful. "Is that a yes? Please say it's a yes. You deserve so much better than this, Ruby."

"Thank you, but the answer is still no," Ruby replied. "I really appreciate it, Weiss. Really, I do, but this is my home… I grew up here, this—this is my castle."

"I still owe you a token of gratitude though," Weiss pressed on not willing to let Ruby's bravery go unrewarded. "Ask anything of me and it is yours."

"I don't want anything," Ruby declined modestly. "Your friendship and company is more than enough."

"Ruby," Weiss glowered.

"Weiss," Ruby said using the same intimidating tone.

" _Ruby_ ," Weiss hissed, "now is not the time to test my patience. In my kingdom, refusing a boon is an act of disrespect. A challenge of superiority often follows shortly after leading to a duel to the death. Now unless you wish to feel my blade on your skin, I suggest you make your deepest wish known."

"Fine! There is one thing I want," Ruby groaned. Weiss smirked at her victoriously. She shot the haughty Prince a nasty glare and said, "When you leave Patch, take me with you."

"You wish to leave your home?"

The redhead nodded firmly, irked that Weiss still questioned her after she revealed her deepest desire. "I mostly just want to escape from Raven and live life like a normal sixteen-year-old."

Weiss cupped her chin and nodded in understanding. She had been the same way once upon a time. "I wouldn't mind taking you with me, but are you looking to become a sailor or are you just seeking passage to a new land?"

"Ideally? I'd like to become a sailor," Ruby said with a renewed vigor. "All the sights I'd get see and the people I'd meet, oh it sounds so exciting and romantic!"

"Romantic?" Weiss asked looking at her friend skeptically. "Ruby, being a sailor is about as romantic as a barnacle. Trust me on this."

"A girl can dream can't she?" Ruby huffed with a heavy blush.

"No harm in that," the Prince chuckled. "I just hope you remember my seadogs are more than just swords for hire."

"They're all huntsmen," Ruby looked straight into Weiss' eyes, fearless under the Prince's scrutinizing gaze. "Weiss, please take me with you. I don't care what I have to do, just get me out. Save me from this, please."

"And what of Blake?"

"… she made her choice when she denied you a chance," the redhead murmured. "I'm really sorry about how my friends treated you. That wasn't fair of them."

"Their hostilities aren't unfounded though," Weiss muttered darkly. "Atlas isn't what it used to be since his majesty's passing. The people loved him… they trusted him, but me? They see me as an upstart who isn't deserving of the throne and the power that comes with it, even though it was the missing Queen herself who claimed me as her heir."

"The missing Queen?" Ruby imagined a beautiful woman both graceful and stern with a gentle smile that soothed the worrying masses. "What happened to her?"

"She went missing," Weiss deadpanned.

"You smug little—ugh! You're lucky I like you," Ruby grumbled with a pout.

"Well, aren't I fortunate then?" Weiss smirked, her piercing blue eyes trained on Ruby's face. The arrogance in her expression faded as the Prince continued to examine Ruby. "Say, Ruby, you spoke of your father, but what of your mother?"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Uh, there's nothing to talk about really. The Duke told me she was like a summer rose or something like that, but I think he's exaggerating. You've met the Duchess before right? Because yikes—not that I'm saying she's ugly or anything like that! Far from it actually; the Duchess Raven is really pretty… but if looks could kill, _yeesh_."

"Huh…" Weiss leaned forward, her elbows supporting her weight on the table. Ruby instinctively leaned away, not liking the way Weiss was inquisitively staring at her. "Do you have a surname or do you only go by Ruby?"

"Ruby Rose," the redhead muttered with a blush. "Pretty sure the Duke pulled that one out of his ass. Red hair, red name."

"I understand your pain. I really, really do. My name, Weiss Schnee," Weiss took a calming breath, "loosely translates to 'white snow' in the common tongue."

"At least your name isn't yellow," Ruby snickered impishly.

Weiss settled back in her chair, wincing as her wound touched the back rest. "No," she said trying to get comfortable, "that would be my great-uncle Gelb who married into the family. Poor, unfortunate bastard died of frostbite during a hunting trip several years ago. They all warned him not to _go_ outside, but well... you can guess the rest."

"Wow," Ruby blinked, "that _is_ unfortunate."

"Mhm," Weiss nodded. "Great-Aunt Marianna Schnee told me the prick was a womanizer and abusive, so it only seemed fitting that _it_ was the first to fall off."

"Is Atlas really that cold?" Ruby asked enthralled by the tale.

"Yes, so cold in fact, we're forced to live underground," Weiss explained. "Well the majority does at least. We have a number of settlements on the surface for our tradesmen… that's also where your friend was most likely taken."

"She never mentioned an underground kingdom."

"That doesn't surprise me," Weiss grimaced. "The further away you are from the Kingdom and the monarchy's reach, the more 'barbarians' you encounter. I hope you can believe me when I say those ruffians aren't the standard. We're actually quite civilized and well learned."

"I already had the feeling that was the case," Ruby admitted, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Blake… isn't the most trustworthy. While I would trust her with my life, I can't trust the things she says. I've learned to leave it as is, but she has too many secrets and she's so angry that she can't forgive. I can't stand her narrow point of view even though I do understand where it's coming from… I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm really glad I met you, Weiss."

"I'm glad to have met you as well," Weiss smiled. "Atlas isn't perfect… but it is beautiful. Just like the missing Queen you strongly resemble."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing, nothing," Weiss said brushing the topic aside casually.

"No, spit it out!" Ruby shouted, a deep blush blooming on her face. "P-Plus you can't just offhandedly call someone beautiful and expect to get away with it."

"Oh, you've caught on to that have you? A compliment is a compliment no matter how it is phrased," Weiss quipped charmingly with a knowing smile. "Though I suppose my quest is nearly at its end since I think I've found what that dusty old crow told me to find."

Ruby chugged down the rest of her water as Weiss spoke, her blush stubbornly refusing to ebb away.

"What are you looking for anyway?"

"The Jewel of Patch, have you heard of it?"

Ruby shrugged. "Nope but there are a lot of pretty rocks lying around. Do you know what's it looks like?"

"All he said about it was that it shined brilliantly under the light, rough around the edges but beautiful nevertheless…" Weiss watched Ruby carefully and said, "he also told me that it would find me if I avoided the mainland."

"Well that's helpful," Ruby muttered sarcastically, blowing her hair out of her eyes.

"I thought the same thing when I was sent on this quest," Weiss said, her hands folded neatly over her lap. "The missing Queen's advisor told me I'd be able to find it in the jungle if it didn't find me first… I thought he was stark raving mad for demanding such a feat from me and my seadogs."

"The rainforest isn't _that_ big," Ruby said rolling her eyes. "It might take a couple of days or weeks, but you'd be able to map the whole thing out as long as you and your crew work together. It took me and Blake years to do it though since it was just the two of us and sometimes Yang."

"You've really explored it all?" Weiss asked taken by surprise. Ruby nodded. "That's amazing."

"We've got markings everywhere, you just need to look carefully." Ruby looked away from Weiss and nervously fiddled with her hair. "I-If you want, I can help you look for it—the jewel thingy."

"That's not necessary," Weiss said, shaking her head. "I told you, I might have already found it."

"Oh… does that mean no trip to the castle?" Ruby sadly asked.

Weiss took a drink and said, "No, I still have to formally greet the Duke and that means I need a guide."

"Really?"

"Aye but can we do this in a day or so?" Weiss groaned. "My back is killing me."

Ruby made a strange face. "It just might."

"That is… incredibly unsettling."

"I've seen animals die from much less," Ruby continued. "Like this one time I saw a bird get eaten by a plant."

"I-I see…."

"Anyway, since I answered your question, I think it's about time you answered mine."

Weiss nodded her head, silently prompting Ruby to speak her mind.

"Is it killing you?" she asked pointing to the ice encasing Weiss' arm. The Prince nodded. "Is there a way to stop it?"

"No. Sparse usage has been the only known method to prolong our incredibly short lives."

"There are more of you?"

Weiss stroked her chin in thought. "How do I phrase this… the magic," she lifted her hand up, "is a gift passed down the males of my line, bestowed unto us by the Snow Queen. Only one person at a time may possess it and death is the only way to pass it on. Curiously, the magic chooses its user at birth, marking them for the throne. That being said, if you have Schnee blood coursing through your veins, even if its the smallest amount possible, you'd have a chance to be born with the magic."

"Males only?" Ruby said in silent disbelief, her eyes drifting below Weiss' angrily pursed lips.

The Prince straightened her back and looked her hostess dead in the eyes, bringing Ruby's wandering gaze back up. "I'm an anomaly which is why my gender was hidden away. I'd be branded a witch and beheaded without trial… but the Queen, she saved me."

"Wow…"

"Yes, well, that's enough about Atlas for now. I'll teach you more when we set sail, so this will have to suffice for the time being."

Ruby bashfully rubbed the back of her neck and nodded. "Thanks, it means a lot to me."

"It sounds like a fairy-tale, huh?" Weiss said. "Princes, Kings, missing Queens… and the looming threat of the Fang descending upon nobility," the Prince shook her head, "I wish I could just close the book and be done with it."

"But where's the excitement in that?"

"I suppose you're right."

"Blake hated leaving a book unfinished," Ruby said with a sad smile. "She'd rather starve than leave one page unturned."

"I can admit to the same fault," Weiss laughed comfortably. "My instructors hated how I always read ahead."

"I love reading," Ruby said running her finger around the rim of her cup with a dreamy look. "A good book can whisk you away and take you on an adventure."

Tales of valiant knights, powerful sorcerers, and handsome Princes, like the one sitting politely across from her, were her favourite. But those books usually came with a glaring flaw that detracted some of the fun for her. Ruby didn't care for the romantic aspect in her novels since it was always about some beautiful, charming woman with aspirations and dreams, something Ruby was sorely missing. Yang on the other hand had everything and more, making her the perfect fairy-tale Princess to match the handsome Prince Weiss.

A sad sigh escaped Ruby lips.

"How about we discuss this over some more water?" Weiss asked her eyes shining with genuine interest. "I'd love to hear about your favourite genres."

Ruby forced a smile. "I'll read anything but romance."

"What a shame," Weiss frowned, sending Ruby a passing gaze. "Those are my favourite."


	10. Chapter Nine: Thin Ice

**The Rose Amidst the Snow**

 **Chapter Nine**

 _ **Thin Ice**_

* * *

Ruby woke in the early morning to an empty bed and a missing Prince. She peeked through the largest hole in the wall to gauge the hour and saw the tail end of the evening slowly melt away as dawn broke. Blinking blearily, Ruby stretched her arms and popped her back, relishing the relaxing effect the practice produced. Once her back was kink free, Ruby swung her legs off the side and went to search for Weiss. The Prince was bound to be somewhere close by.

Stepping out of the barn and into the warm orange glow of the early morning sun, Ruby was greeted by a sight more beautiful than a sunrise. Weiss stood in the middle of the clearing taking in the sights. Her hair was done up in a simple ponytail, and assuming the glittering sparkle holding it together was ice, then Weiss had just cut her life shorter for the sake of appearance. Ruby was about to give His Highness a royal lecture about it when the wind blew. Weiss' hair swayed like silk in the breeze, revealing her blood-soaked bandages and the thin layer of ice that covered it.

Ruby breathed in deep through her nose until her lungs were full and held it for five seconds before exhaling it through of her lips in a steady stream. She repeated the simple breathing exercise until she was calm enough to approach Weiss and speak to her without sounding condescending, because losing her cool against someone who could literally freeze her on the spot was not the way Ruby envisioned the start of her day. And as genial as Weiss was around her, Ruby still knew better than to berate a stubborn noble when they were hurt; years of telling Yang to stop being so reckless had taught her that valuable lesson. Shaking her head and cursing the high-born's pride, Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose and did the only thing she could: try to act normal.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Ruby asked, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

"I came to watch the sunrise," Weiss answered without looking back. "It's breathtaking."

"You say that like you never seen one before," Ruby teased, daring to step closer. She kept a close eye on Weiss to make sure she wasn't giving off any subtle cues of discomfort, Weiss seemed perfectly okay though.

Weiss shook her head, her bangs obscuring darkened blue eyes. "It is rare for Atlesian royalty to see the sun, and since I am the Crown Prince..."

"Is this really the first time you've actually…?" Ruby didn't want to finish her sentence in case she offended her new friend.

"I've seen the sun, but never the sunrise. I'm not one for morning," Weiss bashfully answered with a small smile, her cheeks flushing an adorable rosy colour. "Beautiful," she softly added when she gazed down at Ruby. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"W-Well you should probably turn back before you miss it all," Ruby said, cursing herself for the embarrassing stutter.

Weiss innocently blinked and smiled. "I suppose I should, but between the sun and the company in my presence, I think I enjoy my company more."

"Oh, um," Ruby could feel the heat spreading throughout her face as she unconsciously groomed her hair, flattening the stubborn cowlicks as best she could, "I like your company too."

"So have you considered my request?" Weiss asked, turning her eyes back to the warm, orange hues painting the sky.

"Which one?" Ruby mumbled dreamily as she stared at Weiss' solid form. For someone so thin, Ruby found that Weiss was far from delicate. Her skin may have been soft and supple, but her muscles were lean and well-defined without an ounce of fat clinging to her bones. Ruby didn't have much herself, but that was because food was hard to come by in the jungle.

"The one where you find my Captain and bring her to me," Weiss clarified, oblivious to Ruby's longing gaze. "I can't wear my damaged armour to greet the Duke, and I don't think I can handle travelling to the coast with my injuries the way they are now."

"I'm sorry, but that's going to need stitches," Ruby said, her eyes taking in Weiss' toned back.

"I know," Weiss sighed. "I'm not looking forward to it, but Coco's wrath is honestly more terrifying than infection and death."

"Is she that scary?"

Weiss nodded, touching the scar over her left eye. "That woman can make a beowolf cry for its mama."

"I don't think Grimm have parents," Ruby snickered.

"The ones in Atlas do," Weiss muttered darkly. "Ruby, do you want to know the likely reason why your friend saw my people executing others of her kind?"

Ruby nodded her head, fighting the apprehension gnawing away at her. Blake used to tell her the horrors of Atlas as bedtime stories, back then it was the only way to get her talking. Ruby assumed the fires of her fury had died down, calmed by the slow passage of time, but she was wrong. Blake was still so violently angry at what she'd witnessed in the snowy kingdom Weiss hailed from.

Ruby felt a pang of guilt when she recalled the betrayal in Blake's eyes when she sided with Weiss against Yang.

The Prince took a deep breath and exhaled, her hands balling into tight fists that trembled with rage. "My kingdom is a fortress. Nothing comes in or goes out without our knowing. So tell me, how does a pack of beowolves appear in the city center?"

"Secret passageway?" Ruby suggested with a shrug.

"The Faunus," Weiss muttered. "If I hadn't seen the change before with my own eyes, I'd think it'd be a lie. But I have, and I wish I could forget it."

"Change? You mean like a transformation?"

"Nothing quite as magical as that," Weiss chuckled grimly. "It's like watching someone getting tortured, only there's no one touching them. You can hear their bones snapping beneath their skin, the screams… from a person in so much pain to a bestial howl. And the blood…"

"Oh…"

"The King before King Mikhail ordered the death of all Faunus citizens to circumvent the Grimm threat. It worked for a time, but then people with no animal traits began turning."

The way Weiss said it sounded like she'd been close to someone who turned. Ruby pursed her lips together trying hard to picture the horrors Weiss' kingdom had seen, but all she could imagine were the stories Blake told her.

"No one was safe," Weiss continued. "The King began killing at random which sparked a panic amongst the people. Neighbours who had lived along side each other for decades began suspecting each other, families were torn apart, and children… that was when King Mikhail overthrew his father."

"Why would the previous King do something so horrible?"

Weiss ran a hand through her bangs, her brows furrowed in deep thought. "Fear," she answered quietly, "and hate."

"Oh…" Ruby looked to the ground then back up to Weiss' injury. "Does it hurt?"

"No, Ruby, it feels fantastic."

Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "Well _sorry_ , Your Highness!"

"Haha, you're a strange one, Ruby Rose."

The sound of Weiss' gentle chuckle sent the butterflies living in Ruby's stomach a flutter and her heartbeat racing. A steady blush grew on her face, a side effect of the blood roaring in her ears. Weiss was so handsome and so beautiful it almost hurt to look directly at her. She was like the sun in Ruby's eyes, blinding. Ruby's hand twitched at her side, the urge to reach out and touch Weiss at the forefront of her mind.

"So, um," Ruby cleared her throat as she tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her shirt, anything to give her hands something to do, "where do I find your Captain again?"

"On the shore we first met," Weiss answered concisely.

"I don't know where that is," Ruby blushed. "Blake's the one who found your ship, I just followed her."

"No worries."

Weiss held out her right hand and called upon her magic. Ruby jumped to stop her, but Weiss smile told her it was okay. A pale blue glyph formed in the Prince's hand, spinning lazily as the magic's soft glow pulsed in time to Weiss' steady heartbeat. The humid air began swirling above her palm, funneling down to the center of the glyph where it drew in the frozen water particles. Piece by piece, a tiny creature formed, it's body stitching together in a blinding light.

The temperature was rapidly dropping as Weiss continued to weave her magic, their breaths frosting over as the creeping chill bit into their bones. Weiss gave Ruby a small apologetic look before returning her focus to the task at hand. Ruby wrapped her arms around herself to stave off a shiver, her cheeks were still a rosy colour but it wasn't from the cold.

The Prince's gaze intensified, her efforts redoubled. Her magic flared and when it ceased, a tiny white bird hopped around in Weiss' palm. With a contented smile, Weiss offered it to Ruby and said, "Coco carries traces of my magic within her, this bird will guide you to her then lead you back to me should you need it to."

Ruby took the tiny creature from Weiss and cupped it in the palm of her hand, cooing adoringly as it stretched its wings and flapped them. The bird hopped around, pecking at Ruby's skin curiously, it's head twisting and turning to inspect the world.

"It's so cute!" she exclaimed, her voice startling both Weiss and the bird. "S-Sorry."

"No need for apologies."

Ruby gently stroked the bird's back with her thumb. "Anything I should say to your Captain?"

Weiss gave her a thoughtful look. "Just tell her the truth and lead her back to me."

"She won't attack me on sight will she?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Only if you insinuate that we had relations," Weiss chuckled. "She's a little possessive of me."

"Gotcha! Off we go then—bye, Weiss!"

Ruby released the bird and chased it through the trees before Weiss could offer Myrtenaster's help. She didn't want Weiss shortening her life anymore than she needed to, and it was clear to Ruby that Weiss was hesitant to summon her steed. If she had Myrtenaster the bird would be redundant, so exactly how much of Weiss' life did the horse take in exchange for his services? Ruby breathed in deep and forced her guilty thoughts to the side. She needed to focus on the bird and her surroundings. The jungle was never safe, she needed to keep her wits about her.

Ruby's whole body was screaming in protest by the fifteen minute mark. She was used to running long distances in much worse conditions but the bird had her running at a full sprint with no breaks. The icy bangle had helped to stave off the heat but running on an empty stomach, and for such a long period of time, rendered its helpfulness moot. Sweat was rolling off of her like bullets, getting into her eyes, mouth, and every little crevice imaginable.

"C-Can't… keep…" Ruby fell to her knees in exhaustion, her lungs on fire. The bird immediately stopped and flew back to her, circling around Ruby's head in lazy swooping arches. "Just… just give me a second to catch… to catch my breath."

After her breathing returned to normal, Ruby got up and dusted herself off. Her legs were still sore and her body was aching all over, but Weiss needed her to get to Captain Adel as soon as possible. She signalled the bird to go and set off after it, her pace a steady jog this time around. As she ran, the salty smell of the sea began to steadily meld and overtake the earthy jungle scent Ruby loved. The sound of waves crashing and lapping at the sandy shores grew louder, spurring Ruby to run faster and harder than she'd been. Bright light broke through the thicket and soon enough she pushed through the trees and stumbled upon the beach.

A quick look around showed Ruby the bustling makeshift camp the Atlesians set up overnight. A tear threatened to fall from her eyes when she saw that her beautiful beach had been ruined by dozens of barely standing cloth tents thrown together. She looked for any leftover signs of battle but found none. The giant crater Weiss' nevermore created had been filled and in its place was a large unlit bonfire blocked in by large stones. By the treeline where she stood, Ruby could see a five sailors hacking down the damaged trees and dragging them away to the shore where even more sailors repurposed them to fit their needs. She curiously watched one man gather all the leaves from one tree and dragged them to a large pile while another grabbed all the coconuts and carried them to a separate pile.

"Hey, I know you!" a burly sailor called out. Ruby looked to him and pointed at herself, he nodded his head as he planted his axe deep in the stalk of a fallen palm and waved. "You saved my hide yesterday, thanks!"

Ruby had difficulty understanding him through his thick accent, but the message was clear enough. She kept an eye on the bird, worried she'd lose sight of it, but the creature seemed content to sit on her shoulder so she jogged up to the friendly sailor and greeted him.

"It was no problem," she said with a grin. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Is Frosty with ya?"

"Frosty?" Ruby blinked.

The sailor wiped the sweat of his brow. "Yeah! The big boss, y'know? Tall, pale, and grumbly?"

"Oh! You meant Weiss, yeah sh—he! He sent me out here with"—she held her hand out for the little bird to perch on—"this thing to find Captain Adel."

"That's a cutie," he chuckled. "But the Cap'n, huh?"

"Mhm," Ruby offered her shoulder to the bird, "any chance you can point me in the right direction?"

"I haven't seen her but feel free to ask around," the sailor said but Ruby hesitated when a particularly gruff man yelled and violently slammed his axe down. "Aw, don't be scared, lil'lady! I know we all look rough 'n tough, but most of us are harmless. Take that big guy for example."

Ruby looked to where her new friend pointed and saw a giant of man lift a massive sack of goods like it was nothing. Her jaw dropped in astonishment.

"That's Günther and he's a fisherman by trade—and oh! Before I forget, my name's Niklas."

"Hi, Niklas, my name's Ruby. Ruby Rose!"

Niklas flashed her a tooth grin. "Pretty name for a pretty dame."

"Aw shucks," Ruby blushed, kicking at the sand bashfully.

"Anyway, best be getting back to work before the Cap'n catches me. Just because Frosty's not around to micromanage us doesn't mean we can slack off."

"Take care, Niklas, thanks for the help."

After saying goodbye to her new friend, Ruby set out to find the Captain. The little bird flew off her shoulder and cut through the campsite, leaving Ruby to chase after it. Luckily her hunt didn't last long because Captain Adel had turned the corner and found her.

"Whoa there, Red! Welcome back," Coco said, catching Ruby by the scruff before she ran past her.

"Captain Adel, oh thank god I found you," Ruby cried out. "I need your help, it's Weiss!"

The friendly expression on Coco's face dropped the instant Weiss' name slipped from Ruby's lips. "I'm listening."

Ruby explained the situation as best she could without rambling, but the Captain's sour expression frightened her a great deal. She stuttered terribly and bit her tongue hard enough to make Coco wince. And halfway through her story, Coco commanded Ruby to stop speaking and follow her to her tent instead. She led Ruby to the largest one and ushered her in without so much as a word.

Coco's living space was a cozy little patch of comfort with its dim lighting and earthy coloured rugs spread out on the floor. There was plenty of walking space, easily enough room to fit four burly sailors, an uptight Prince, and one extravagant Captain without having to touch. To the right were several overstuffed wooden chests and crates of various sizes with even more stacked precariously on top. And to the left was a bed large enough for two made up of the plushest furs Ruby had ever seen. In the far back of the tent was a large wooden desk full of nautical maps and tools.

"Okay, start from the beginning and remember to breathe when you speak," Coco said as she languidly took her seat behind the table. The Captain took her hat off and gently tossed it to the side.

"Um…" Ruby shifted nervously under Coco's steady gaze, her fingers wringing the life out of her threadbare sleeves.

Coco rolled her eyes and pushed the chair to balance on its hind legs, her feet thrown up on the table. She stared Ruby down hard, her left hand propped against her temple as her right tapped an impatient beat on wood. Ruby got an eyeful of the many holsters hidden beneath Coco's jacket, the ornate blunderbusses they held a beautiful gold and black with a touch of elegant swirling silver. It didn't take long for Coco to notice where Ruby's eyes were.

Humming in amusement, Coco tilted her chin up and toyed with one of the holsters. "Weiss had them commissioned for me," she told Ruby as she made a show of herself carefully picking and pulling one out. Coco ran her fingers over the barrel lovingly, her dark brown eyes roving over the weapon like she would a lover before aiming it at Ruby, her finger squeezing the trigger. "Bang!"

To her credit, Ruby didn't flinch when Coco faked the recoil, earning her a solid look of approval from the beautiful Captain. Coco slid her unloaded gun back into its holster making sure to keep it and the seven others on full display.

"Now seriously, _talk_. You said Weiss was hurt."

"She got hurt protecting me," Ruby said, her hands balling into fists. "Her armour got damaged too. She sent me to find you and ask you to bring—"

" _'She'?"_

Ruby immediately shut her mouth, eyes wide.

"So you know," Coco put her feet back on the ground and steadily rose up to her full height, hands flat on the table. "How badly is she hurt?"

"Bad." Ruby stood straighter, her face hardening to match Coco's. "She needs stitches and medicine."

"Okay," Coco acquiesced, her stance relaxing.

"Okay?"

Coco nodded. "Wait for me outside, I need to grab a few things."

Ruby left Coco's tent and patiently waited. More sailors from yesterday's skirmish waved at her, some even going as far as calling her "Little Red" as they passed. One particularly shy sailor handed her an open coconut and thanked her for having his back, he held his hand out for her to shake before running back to his tasks. Ruby never got his name but if Weiss kept her word and took her with her when they set sail, she can get to know him then. A hopeful smile graced Ruby's lips, she was going to be free soon.

"Son of a bitch, where'd I put it?!" Coco screamed from inside. Judging by the clamorous noises raging inside, Coco was apparently busy tearing her tent apart. "I swear it was just here!"

Ruby held her arms to her side, eyes wide as the surly Captain threw something heavy across the room nearly hitting Ruby from the inside. The ruckus blew the tent flaps open just long enough for Ruby to see absolute chaos Coco had wrought. The precariously piled up chests and crates were littered across the floor along with some clothes and other bric-a-brac Ruby couldn't make out.

"Need a hand?" Ruby shouted over the noise.

"No, I'm good!" Coco yelled back.

"O-Okay."

A loud crash sounded from deep within, shaking the tent down to its foundation. Ruby jumped back a couple feet and watched the massive structure sway in place. Flashbacks of the many times she'd seen her old barn do the same came flooding back when the supports holding Coco's tent together groaned under the stress.

"Are you sure you don't need a hand?!" Ruby bit her bottom lip anxiously.

Coco responded with a triumphant shout as she stormed out of the tent, dragging a wooden chest behind her. Ruby looked between the chest and the proud Captain, her mind blank save for a single burning question: how were they going to get it back to Weiss? She was going to voice out her concerns, but Coco was two steps ahead of her.

"Stop, I know that look," Coco said, putting a hand up. "Just wait."

Ruby didn't get a chance to respond because soon enough Myrtenaster and a particularly nasty looking beowolf stepped out of the foliage. Coco wasted no time commanding the monster to carry the chest and sending it off again. She called Myrtenaster to her and began rifling through Myrtenaster's saddle bags to take stock. Ruby pre-emptively prattled off all the items she used hoping to save Coco some time and effort. Coco quickly thanked her and went back into her tent. When she came back out it was with an armful of supplies and her hat back on her head.

"Always better to be overprepared," she said as she loaded the bags.

After double-checking her work, Coco flagged one of her crewmen down and gave him a set of instructions to carry out in her absence. They spoke in fluid Atlesian, their beautiful sounding words a complete mystery to Ruby.

" _Verstehen sie?"_

He nodded his head and saluted her with his left fist over his heart.

Coco dismissed him with a nod and turned back to Ruby, her left eyebrow cocked in question. "Do you know how to ride?" she asked.

A slinking smile spread on Ruby's face. Weiss begged her not to poke the beast, but she just couldn't resist. "Weiss taught me how to ride _him_ personally."

"Okay, get on then," Coco commanded without missing a beat.

Ruby pouted but did as told. She did not want another one of Coco's guns in her face.

They left the camp and rode to the subtle sounds of a sleepy forest and the rhythmic clink of Myrtenaster's armour. Coco was a tall woman with long legs and arms to match, she wasn't nearly as bulky as Weiss was with her armour on, but that still didn't leave much room. When she rode with Weiss, Ruby had been far too excited to notice it but the close quarters were definitely difficult. The only person she'd ever had this close to her body was Blake and they usually had a whole forest to share, not a couple centimetres and a few layers of clothing.

"Don't be so stiff," Coco instructed. "You need to relax and follow the motions or you'll end up hurting yourself."

"O-Okay."

And that was all Coco said for the rest of their ride.

When they reached the barn, the sun was high and both women were drenched in sweat. Ruby was fairing a little better than Coco, but she was in less layers and had the added benefit of Weiss' ice.

"Is this it?" Coco asked, her voice highly irritated.

"Yup!" Ruby chirped. "Home sweet home!"

"It's a barn."

"Yup!"

Coco let out an aggravated sigh. "The Crown Prince of Atlas is resting in a _barn_. Snow Queen have mercy on me, I'm going to get beheaded if the council ever hears about this."

"We're in the middle of nowhere, _Captain_ ," Ruby snapped irritably. No one insulted her ugly, old barn but her. "Be glad there's something here at all."

"Cute." Coco let out a mirthful chuckle and patted Ruby's head. "I can't wait till my kid gets to your age."

Ruby did her best to swat off Coco's hand, but the feeling of someone else's touch was hard not to enjoy. Blake was never the tactile sort, and Yang's hugs will never be the same again. That all encompassing warmth that used to lull her to sleep was gone forever and it was all Ruby's fault. Sadness washed over Ruby as the events of that fateful day replayed in her head like a scene from a recurring nightmare. The sound of Yang's agonized screams as Blake cauterized the wound were still fresh in her head, a permanent reminder of the pain her existence caused.

Coco caught the sudden shift in Ruby's mood and stopped her teasing. She pulled the distraught teenager to her chest and held her close. Coco's strong arms were coiled tightly around Ruby's small shoulders like a warm blanket.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know I tease a lot, but I don't mean you any harm," she cooed into Ruby's hair. There was a motherly tone in her voice that Ruby never heard outside of her dreams. "Whatever's got you worked up will pass."

"I-I'm sorry…"

Coco lightly bonked the girl on the head with her cheek. "Never apologize for something that isn't your fault."

"I'm sorry," Ruby repeated petulantly as she leaned deeper into Coco's embrace.

"C'mon, Red, let's go find Weiss," Coco said, dropping the conversation with a sigh.

Ruby threw a grateful smile Coco's way before jumping off Myrtenaster's back. Coco dismounted him a little more gracefully.

"So where my royal pain in the ass?" Coco asked, adjusting her hat to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. Ruby absentmindedly pointed to the barn as she stroked Myrtenaster's snout. "Thank you."

The pissed off Captain wasted no time and kicked the doors open with a shout that scared the living daylights out of Weiss. The Prince had been sitting by the table with a cup of water just minding her own business when the barn nearly came down on her.

"Coco!" she screamed vehemently in warning.

The dust settled around them as Coco confidently waltzed in looking calm and disaffected. Ruby, with her arms laded with supplies chased after Coco, her shorter legs struggling to keep pace with the Captain's long strides.

"My Liege, Little Red tells me your hurt," Coco said in the common tongue for Ruby's sake while her eyes casually roving over Weiss' slender body. The bandages wrapped around Weiss' chest made her lip curl upward in a nasty snarl. "And it seems she wasn't lying. What happened, Weiss?"

"I protected her," Weiss answered coolly, but the way she shied away and covered her chest told a completely different story. "That's all that matters."

Coco took her hat off and covered her face with a hand. Her eyes were screwed shut as she let out a long, aggravated sigh that sounded more like an angry growl. She shook her head and muttered a long string of curses before dragging her hand down low enough to peek through her fingers. Weiss seemed uncharacteristically frightened by the look.

" _Weiss_ ," Coco grumbled, her accent coming through.

"Coco," Weiss muttered back, her eyes narrowed warily.

Ruby looked between the two older women and hastily put herself between them. She kept her back to Weiss and bravely faced down the woman she was steadily growing to respect. Coco dropped her arms to her sides, looking extremely peeved by the interruption.

"Um…" Ruby withered under Coco's glare, "maybe we should take a step back and breathe?"

"Ruby, it's fine," Weiss said rather flippantly. "Coco's just worried."

"You're damn right I'm worried!" Coco screamed, her anger flaring like Yang's.

"See?" Weiss said, stepping around Ruby, a lazy smile spreading on her face to comfort the frightened girl. "Let's just get this over with."

"Good." Coco crossed her arms and looked around the sparsely decorated barn for something to work on. She noticed the bed and pointed her chin towards it. "Can we use that?"

"Sure," Ruby answered.

"Perfect." Coco frogmarched her Prince to the bed and said, "Face down; ass up. You know how I like it."

"Coco!" Weiss spun around and screeched, her face bright red.

"And take off those bandages while you're at it," Coco added nonchalantly.

Ruby fought back a giggle as she carefully dropped all the supplies on the table.

"B-But—"

"Oh suck it up, Princess!" Coco grumbled, rolling her eyes before quietly adding, "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Still!" Weiss shouted, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. She made herself seem as small as possible, her eyes desperately pleading for Coco to relent.

Shaking her head, Coco handed Ruby her hat and ordered the girl to begin sorting through their supplies. She asked for some water, two cloths, and the medical kit, as well as some fresh gauze and the liquor. While Ruby was busy with that, Coco grabbed a chair and carried it to the bedside were Weiss stood as still as a statue.

"You know we need to do this," Coco whispered. Weiss' bottom lip quivered in response. "If you're worried about Ruby, she's already seen you."

"Coco…"

Taking her Prince's hands carefully into her own, Coco slowly coaxed Weiss to lower her guard. She kept her eyes on Weiss', never straying down to what the Prince desperately tried to hide. "You've been walking around like this this whole time haven't you?"

"Mm…"

"Your shirt?"

"Ruined."

"It's okay, I brought you a new one and that thing you asked for."

Weiss gritted her teeth and lowered her arms even further, comforted by her best friend's presence. "My armour, Coco. _My_ _armour_ …"

Coco's eyes flicked to the beautiful ivory chest piece by the doorway and gave it a silent word of gratitude. She returned her gaze back to Weiss and said, "I'm sure she's happy she got to protect you."

"There's a gaping hole in it…" Weiss murmured.

"There's a gaping hole in _you_ ," Coco harshly whispered back. Now whether or not she was referring to the wound or something else entirely wasn't clear. Weiss seemed to understand though.

Ruby cleared her throat, presenting most the items she was tasked with to Coco. The rest, more specifically the water and the liquor, were laid out on the table, waiting for a return trip. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that's everything," Coco said with a smile. "Just put it all on the chair."

Nodding her head, Ruby followed her instructions and waited patiently behind Coco once she was finished.

"Ruby, I'm sorry to ask this, but could you please turn around?" Weiss asked in a defeated tone. She couldn't bear the understanding look in those silver eyes when the mere thought of Ruby seeing her bare was more mortifying than watching her King die. "I'm sorry," she quietly repeated.

Ruby offered to leave but Coco stopped her, saying she might need an extra pair of hands later on. Ruby returned to the table, her back to Weiss and Coco, and picked through the leftover supplies. She found a palm sized jar filled with a deep green paste and two vials filled with a thick yellow syrup. She assumed the first was an herbal mixture of some sort and the second plain honey. Ruby knew that honey had many healing properties, but she was curious what Coco intended to do with it. After a little more digging, Ruby found a small pull string sack filled with an assortment of dried leaves, petals, and herbs. It all made sense. Honey tea. Ruby smiled at the combination. Did Weiss have a sweet tooth? But before she could ponder on that further, hushed voices drew her attention.

"You can lie down and I'll cut the bandages off instead if you'd like."

Weiss nodded her head and laid down. Coco opened the kit and pulled out the scissors, giving them a test snip before cutting the bandages. A quiet gasp escaped Coco's mouth when she finally saw the wound.

"Snow Queen have mercy, forget the council, Chrys is going to have my head!" she hissed, setting the scissors aside.

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her," Weiss replied with a chuckle.

Coco sighed in exasperation as she handed Weiss the liquor. "Drink. You'll need it."

Weiss muttered a curse in Atlesian and took the bottle by the neck. She eyed it warily before bringing it to her lips and drinking. "That is positively putrid!" Weiss gasped once she had her fill.

Coco stoke the bottle back with a hearty laugh and took a healthy swig herself. "I've had worse," she said, wiping her mouth.

"You drank seawater on a dare, of course you've have worse!" Weiss pointed out.

Capping the liquor and setting it aside, Coco pulled out the suture kit and flipped it open. She carefully perused the selection but before touching the needle and thread, Coco washed her hands with some water.

"You seriously believe she won't find out?" Coco asked, flicking the excess water at Weiss.

The Prince grumbled indignantly but that soon faded away into warm laughter as she wiped her face dry. "We can try really, really hard."

"Oh please, trying to keep a secret from her is impossible," Coco said, threading the needle. "I mean, she found out about you."

"You're just weak."

"For those baby blue eyes, yes." Then Coco grinned. "Brace yourself, Princess, this is going to hurt."

* * *

 **This chapter was long overdue, I'm sorry for the wait.**

 **I wanted to fix this up some more but the longer I fixate, the longer it'll take for me to update. Thank you for your patience.**


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